Kim, Now Joey

In recent months we have had quite a few of our former residents come back to visit CSC, including a few who were at CSC in its early days, 25 to 30 years ago. Arlie, Andreas Hernan, Anne Riyah, and Joey were all with us a various times in the 1980s. And just now as I write this I've had an IM pop up from another of our kids from the 80s, Cherry. Wow.

It's always a thrill for us to have our kids come back to visit us. Occasionally it is a situation where we have had little or no communication with the child or the family since the child left. It presents the occasion of having many years of catching up to do. Often a returning resident will have the desire to search for and visit a birth family, usually successfully. And sometimes they are adults already and have their own families.

Whatever the situation, it's always a blessing for us to welcome back those we have cared for and invested a big part of our lives in. It's really no different than any of us that have our own children and then getting to see them again after a very long absence. We feel as though they are one of our own. The affinity is still there even if the familiarity is not.

When Joey came to visit with his father, Frank, and sister, Kim, it brought back so many memories. We were all a lot younger back then and I remember being on duty (our CSC staff provided most of the childcare back in those days) with Joey, then named Kim. We fed him, bathed him, changed his diaper, and put him to sleep. But most of the memories come from playing with Joey. He was a solid little guy with a big smile and a lot of energy. I spent many hours on my back in the original Bulacao home on the floor with Joey and his buddies crashing down on top of me. Once thrown off, he would always come back for more. Always.

We hope he comes back for more here at CSC someday, too!