Forever Homes for Abandoned Armenians

Written on May 6, 2008

Dear friends & family,

I have been in Armenia for three days now...and it feels like much longer as the days have been full & long. But good. Very good. The sun is setting and the sky is cloud-filled and the wind is blowing harder than perhaps I have ever heard it blow. It is howling and whipping around the building and things are flying off the balconies above me. The sky is full of dust, which has something to do with the beautiful sunset, I think.

I have seen many people whom I love. And I have already seen the residents three days in a row. The first thing I did was go to the home, after changing some money to take the bus out to 3rd Village. I wrote to my family & husband very quickly the first night, telling them that it was pure joy. That day. And when this journey has so often been riddled with hard decisions and sadness, that stands out to me. The residents and I laughed and they showed me all that they have done and learned in the last year. Davit would not let go of my hand and kept saying, "Natalie jan (dear), tsavd tanem (I take your pain)." He did not really mean it literally and now as I reach for the words to explain the meaning, it is harder than I thought. But it meant something like - "Oh, there is pain in this joy. And I take it. I take yours. And I'm so glad you are here." I suppose that is the way it is with proverbs and sayings. They take on a life of their own.

Today was quite full of meetings. Our staff shared their concerns. I shared my gratitude with them. And then I was able to listen while they discussed the individual care plans for each resident -- discussing the last month's progress, anecdotal and loving stories...and the ways that they hope the residents will continue to grow. It was really a beautiful thing to hear their hearts for the residents, to see the care they put into this work, and to hear the stories of the residents. One resident has been working toward not interrupting others. Another toward having more gratitude. It made me think of family life and how we are shaped with love. I hope that is what Warm Hearth is for them. I think that it is.

We also are moving toward some organizational changes and hope that we will soon have a foundation or NGO in Armenia dedicated solely to Warm Hearth. Today I met with the founding board members of what we hope will soon be a legal entity. Each of the board members has given to Warm Hearth in many ways, most of them since the very beginning. I asked each of them to share what Warm Hearth meant to them, how they had contributed to the home...and then I just sat back and was able to listen to the amazing ways that our resident's lives and needs have shaped them. And as I shared with them, in turn, I thought about the same - how much I have been shaped and changed by this crazy-beautiful thing called Warm Hearth.

So, things are good on many fronts, here in Armenia. Bridget will arrive this weekend and together we will begin to face the future and possibilities for our two dear residents who are *still* in the psychiatric clinic. That will be the part of this trip that is the most trying, of course. It will be hard to face heir questions if we ourselves do not have answers. I have some small hope that perhaps we can bring Sassoon home...with a one-on-one caregiver. That is my hope. With Anna, I do not know.

*I do not know.* We have said that so many times along the way. The journey has both been long & short. The road has been wide & narrow. It continues to be the same. And we will continue to walk it. Thank you for walking with us, as always. I still mean that just as much as I did in the beginning. You are one of my greatest solaces. And your hope is my hope.

With Gratitude & Love, Natalie