Our U.K. Safe Accommodation opened up recently and we welcomed the first young person into our care. A boy, who has been through a nightmare. I wanted to share with you the reflections I wrote down on those special first days…
Day One
I can’t believe we are here. It seemed to be such a long dance of perseverance to get us here. The day has arrived, the day the whole of the global Love146 family has been waiting for. I’m currently playing my part as one of the home staff as I pull the first of my 12 hour ‘awake’ night shifts. In the next room, in the bed that our donors made possible, is our first young person, an amazing boy. He is fast asleep, unaware that the house is still awake, alert, watching, waiting, caring, we do not switch off.
Right now he is the centre of our world, the primary focus of our staff team of seven, the reason we are here.
Day Two
Today we kicked a ball, and we sat and ate the creamiest of ice creams outside in the sun, watching the world pass by. I yawned a giant yawn.
“Did you have bad nights sleep?” He asked me in broken English. Like it was role reversal and he was the sincere caregiver.
“No, I haven’t slept; I was on the ‘awake’ shift.” I said,
“Why?” he asked.
“Because we want you to know that you’re never alone, and that someone is always awake and there for you, even if you don’t need them.”
He just smiled (he has an amazing smile that would light up the darkest room) and went back to enjoying probably the best ice cream he had ever tasted, and so did I.
