On my third day here, after baking with the neighborhood kids, I was recruited for a backyard game. I didn’t know what I was getting in to, but I was just thankful to have not been the last one picked on the team. (Petunia and I were the oldest ones playing by at least 20 years). The game involved bouncing a tennis ball to hit the opposing players, stacking tin cans on top of paint buckets (in descending size order), saying a magic word, hopping on one foot, knocking the tin cans down, running around, and of course celebrating when your team won a point.

Sometimes God pulls you towards certain people; other times, he pushes them to you. This is the case with Miriam, a young girl from our block who has taken a special shining to me. Miriam is an orphan, and lives with her step-mother, who neglects her in favor of caring for her own children. In addition, Miriam has mild mental retardation.