I Love You and Miss You So Much

If you have been following any of my blogs or facebook pages you will know that for the past two months I’ve been in Australia, separated from Jerry. I’ve survived it by our daily phone calls and clinging to the countless photos and videos I took of him before I left.

I have loved the peace, the quiet of Australia. I’ve loved the clean waters and hardly-peopled places. I’ve been out everyday taking as many photos as possible: raw material for my books and blogs. And I’ve been dreaming of a time when Jerry can experience all these wonderful things. Fishing off the V-Wall in Nambucca, swimming across Warrell Creek to South Beach at Gumma, Bushwalking in Dorrigo National Park, paddling a kayak in Deep Creek at Valla or just hanging out with his new white family of cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents.

Jerry will be nine years old on January 30th and I’l be back in the Philippines to celebrate his birthday. He’s very excited because we are inviting his two older brothers and his cousins to have lunch in the house and birthday cake. Jerry doesn’t like spending too much time with the remains of his family, and it’s not because he doesn’t like them. I have some ideas but I’m not completely sure why.

In March I hope to begin the formal adoption process and I am completely excited about being Jerry’s legal mum and being able to get him a passport so the next time I travel to Australia (or anywhere) I don’t have to leave him behind. He’s been shunted around his entire short life and I am committed to giving him the type of stable life that enables self-esteem and achievement.

Being legally adopted is very important to Jerry. He gets teased at school “no mother you” and like all of us is searching for a sense of belonging. I suppose in many ways he gives me that feeling too.

“You and me is a family Tita Mel” he tells me, “like Toy Story.”

I know he loves the family I’ve paid to care for him in my absence but in his heart it’s Tita Mel he wants to show his homework and perfect scores, it’s Tita Mel he wants to watch him dance in the parade and it’s Tita Mel he wants to sing to him at night.

“Just you back Tita Mel and we sing again.”

© 2017 Melinda Irvine
Daily Prompt: Cling

Only 24 hours left of the campaign, if anyone is out there reading this we could really do with your help. Thank you. Mel and Jerry xx