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Thursday, February 25, 2010

If Hope Went on Sabbatical . . .

I read this article yesterday and it really made my heart break.

Now, if you are anything like me, you are bad about clicking through on hyperlinks because you are super busy and who has time to go read some other links when you have to get work done, grab some coffee and buy groceries while putting on lip gloss. Hmm?

So I will provide you with a very brief synopsis of the story.

In actuality, it is a happy story. Well, in a way. A man, a 32 year old man, was reunited with the father he never knew.

The father, Abel Madariaga, has been searching for his son and never gave up hope that he would find him.

Abel's wife, Silvia, was kidnapped when she was pregnant over 32 years ago. She and her husband were part of a leftist group in Argentina, which was then a dictatorship. Their group was targeted for death by the government.

The last time Abel saw Silvia, she was being pushed into a Ford by members of the Argentinian army.

Silvia, a surgeon who helped the poor, gave birth to their son while in a torture chamber. Survivors who were also imprisoned said the baby was taken away from her and shortly afterward, she disappeared.

There is a lot more to the story and to the torment that both the son and the father suffered through for the past three decades.

But they are together now. How amazing is that?

32 Years. Of not knowing.

"Hugging him that first time, it was as if I filled a hole in my soul," the father said.

Reading this story brought home for me the importance of hope. Such a short word. One that doesn't really seem to have the stature of longer, multiple syllable words.

4 letters. That's all.

H.O.P.E.

I think about how easy (ok not easy. Nothing sounds like it was "easy" for this man) it could have been for this father to have given up. To have just believed that his son had been killed, along with the other 400 children who had been kidnapped by birth and murdered during the mass genocide by former Argentinian dictatorship.

I think about how hard it must have been for him to live his life with the image of his wife being taken from him. And to have that be the last image of her in his mind.

I think about how he put his socks on in the morning. And got out of bed.

And found the desire to eat again.

How did he find the strength to breathe?

Did he feel guilt the first time that he was able to laugh again? Was he able to laugh again?

I read another great post today by my friend Nathanael about some of the unwarranted cruelty that other parts of the world live with.

Day in and day out. And become accustomed to.

Life is not always considerate. Sometimes it feels like the weakest are the ones that take the most blows, it is the impoverished that feel the pain of yet another torturous drought.

It is the unprotected children that live in fear of great uncertainty. The elderly who are already accepting the vulnerability of age who cannot pay for another prescription.

In the end, what brings most of these people forward is HOPE.

Whether it is hope in God, hope in change, hope in tomorrow being another day, hope that someone, somewhere is listening and will make a difference.

I HOPE that the journey forward for this father and son is one of peace and love and that they can exorcise many of the demons that they have lived with the past 3 plus decades.

Knowing how life works, I am guessing they still have some bumps in the road.

But for them, I HOPE.

XOXO,
Kiran

23 comments:

Macey said...

Thank you for sharing this!
I swear, even when we are having the WORST day of our life here in America...it's still not as bad as EVERY day some other people in other countries have. :(

Rebekah @ Mom-In-A-Million said...

Thought provoking. And so so very true.

I want to go hug everyone I love now.

jessalyn said...

that was beautiful and perfectly written. what an amazing story! talk about never giving up!!
thank you for sharing this.
hearts!

foxy said...

Wow - what a story! I'm so glad you shared it. It really makes you think... and frankly, i think HOPE is underrated.

Karls said...

That was really touching Kiran!

We in the west, definitely have become more desensitised to the plights of others. It's sad really. I guess to a certain extent we have to, otherwise we'd be all walking around aimlessly, crying and feeling guilty for all we have - and they don't. Compassion, these days. is a rare commodity!

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

Oh wow. That gave me chills. We can never forget the suffering that is out there, but this certainly lends hope to the fact that miracles exist!

Shandal said...

Inspiring post. Love the message.

Vodka Logic said...

Great post and thanks for sharing. A truly inspiring story of human spirit.

I would hope I would have half the strength that father had.

You are right it seems it is the weak that get the most pain..
xx

Annie @ astonesthrowfrominsanity said...

Kiran- what a powerful post! I have often thought about how certain people that face unspeakable hurts, and I have the same questions. How, oh how, do they make it through the day? How do they hold on to hope? I think that it is a testament to their spiritual depth. Thanks for the deep thoughts. :)

Sadia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sadia said...

That was touching. Thanks for sharing.

I often wonder about the other children in the orphanage my sister came from, and what happened to them.

Lemon Gloria said...

Yes! That article gave me such a lump in my throat. I love that they were reunited, but what a cruel situation, and what a long time. And the fact that it was systematic is just horrifying.

meredith said...

i read this story last night and my heart both sank and swelled... it's absolutely unfathomable to me and gut-wrenching. i love that word and all that it means - HOPE.

Sarah at The Stroller Ballet said...

That was a lovely and touching story. Thank you for sharing. I can't imagine going through that!

Unknown said...

I really loved reading the serious side of you!!!

Shannon K. said...

That is one amazing story. Almost unbelievable. Such a powerful message you sent with the way you wrote it!

Lyndsay Wells said...

Kiran,

The more I get to know you, the more I appreciate you and feel gratitude for knowing you.

HOPE.

It's my favourite word next to love.

Thankyou for sharing this story. As someone who was reunited with my own father after 30 years I completely understand that hole in the soul and what it feels like to begin to fill it.

xoxo

Mave

Unknown said...

That is an amazing story! I saw something about it on the news, but was not paying close attention. Thanks for filling me in! Just dropped by from SITS to say hi; hope you'll do the same.
Lucky you! Wish I were going to the bloggy get together! Have fun!

Ams said...

Oh I just LOVE this post... an absolutely AMAZING story!

Tracie said...

What a story. I can't imagine what life has been like for either of them. Hope is a beautiful thing we should never lose sight of.

Amber Page Writes said...

They say love makes the world go round, but I think it's hope. Because you can live without love, but not without hope.

Anonymous said...

wow kiran, this was amazing. thank you for linking me up!

Allyson said...

How beautifully written, Kiran!! I was reminded of this when they were pulling survivors from the rubble of the earthquake in Haiti almost 2 weeks after the event. I thought "what would make you keep living for 2 more weeks after you were trapped? Why wouldn't you just give up? And are more people more hopeful than others?" And it made me realize that it has a lot to do with resiliency and attitude. And the people who can find a way to deal and somehow take it in stride seem, to me, to be the most hopeful. You never know what direction life is going to take you. The best you can do is live it and see how it unfolds. Thank you for sharing. That is truly a beautiful story.

 

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