Barb’s Goodbye to Tina
Written Monday, June 5, 2006
Baby Tina is gone. I had about 24 hours notice, then a group of relatives came Sunday morning and took her. The plan was to take the early bus the next morning to Kogi State where a relative will care for Tina and free her mom to resume university studies.
So that’s it for us. Our job with Tina is over almost as quickly as it began. Tina was born on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 at 10 PM to Rachael who had been sheltered by Pro-Life Evangel Crisis Pregnancy Center since rejection by her family. This was “an abomination” to the family.
There was reconciliation in the family, so that’s a good thing. To some degree the estrangement has been healed and relationship restored. I can go along with that even though it meant saying bood-bye to Tina and probably never seeing her again. Healing will come.
It amazes me, as I look back, how rapidly we adjusted to Tina’s presence in our household and lives. We had even become accustomed to the routine of night feedings and other accomodations to her demands that frequently interrupted our schedules. It didn’t take us very long to get used to having Tina a part of our family.
I miss Tina, twelve hours old when I brought her home from the maternity ward and already encased in many layers of thick knitted clothing. Her sweat-matted hair and beads of perspiration on her forehead were enough indication that she was very overdressed.
I miss Tina. Shw was so soft and sweet and cuddly, so little and smooth with a broad, squashed nose and a crease across the bridge of her nose. Her hair was tiny, soft black curls. Her fingers were quite long and her eyes large, alert and bright. She is definitely a precious treasure, hand-crafted in God’s image and for his pleasure.