Swing

Yesterday as Turo and I played on the swings at the park, I was reminded of a moment from our first week together. It was Thursday, which was the day we visited our agency’s care centers with Turo. This was an emotional morning for everyone, and Turo sobbed as we drove away from the place he had spent half of his life. By the time we got to the restaurant for lunch, Turo was calmer, but still out of sorts. Jose walked him around the lovely grounds, we tried to feed him some lunch, but he was spent.

Finally, I took him in my arms for a stroll. Our wanderings led us to a hidden swing set nestled among the trees. With Turo against my chest, I began to swing. Finally, lulled by the warm sun and the sway of our bodies, he slept. As I held him in my arms, our hearts touching, I looked out over Addis Ababa. Often during the wait, I reminded myself “this moment is all there is.” Now, these words rang through my head because this too was fleeting. So I tried to breathe it all in. The city spread out below us, the heat from my sleeping child, the smell of Eucalyptus, the newness of motherhood, Africa. And for the first time in over two years, that moment was all there was.