Home for Christmas: Always a Happy House kid

Together again: David and Francis

Sharing the wonder and togetherness of Christmas has made family ties ever stronger for our Happy House children,.

Mama has always told them "Once a Happy House kid, always a Happy House kid" now they also know exactly what that means.

Bringing so many children, now reunified with their own birth families, back to their Happy House home for a festive holiday has shown them the certainty of our love and friendship.

Mama's boy Linus

Although older, bigger, more worldly, they slotted into place just where they'd left off.

There was no awkwardness or uncertainty, as the kids greeted each other,  some having been apart for many, many months.
Linus, who as a toddler loved to snuggle into Mama for a cuddle, is seven this month but not too grown up for another cuddle!
Hassan,  always Papa's shadow, again became his right hand man.

Ours was like any other family reunited at Christmas. 

There were many smiles, much laughter, a lot of love, and plenty of time to talk.

Mama and Papa made sure of that. 

Reunifying families has not been easy. 

Mama, determined to put the interests of each individual child before all else, kept her own feelings, as their adoptive Mama, in check.

 As they left to return to relatives, now able to give them a home again, her bright face, belied her heavy heart.

Her tears, and Papa's, have been shed in private.

Bringing her children home for this special week was a chance to spend time with them together and individually, finding out how they are doing, whether they have any worries, and what they miss (or don't miss!)

She already knew they are settled and well, Uncle Billy checks up on each one every week, sometimes more than once a week and Mama often chats with them, so she wasn't expecting any problems. Indeed there were none.

But she needed the assurance every Mama needs when a child flies the nest.

Without exception, the kids in word, deed and action, confirmed the success of their reunification.
They talked about their new schools, their new friends, but said what they missed most was their old friends.

Papa and Hassan

Evans, now living with relatives  but close enough to remain in our school,  has been in the Happy House family since its earliest days,  

He stood up in a group meeting and said:

 "I thought I would never see Hassan or Musyoka again, but now I have, and know I will again. Thank you Mama."

He and his brothers and sisters now have a greater understanding of how friendships can endure despite long distances and separations.

Our family visitors have traveled home, taking with them their gifts and lots of lovely memories, knowing that next year they will be together again ...
Coming Home for Christmas.