Surprise!

Mom and I just got back from a little surprise birthday party we quickly through together for our new Filipino maid. We share our neighbor's maid, Cheryl, who lives just around the corner. Today was her first time to come, but she will soon be working three mornings a week for us. Already she has been such a blessing. She cleaned the entire downstairs of our big house which allowed mom to work on her nursing program, and plan for upcoming events with Operation Hope. This morning when I came downstairs for breakfast I felt so akward walking around Cheryl who was busy humming along to Mama Mia and cleaning my kitchen. She was cleaning up our mess! That was just so strange for me. I think it will take a while for me to get over the mentality of "it's my mess, I should have to clean it up!" When mom asked if I wanted Cheryl to clean my room I said "no way!" It's not that I don't trust Cheryl, I trust her completely. It's just that well, it's my space, my mess, and I should be the one who cleans it up. Emily on the other hand rejoiced when she learned Cheryl might clean her room on Wednesday.

This afternoon when Juliette was talking to Cheryl she inquired as to when her birthday was. Cheryl replied that today was her birthday! Juliette called mom and we organized a mini surprise party. Dad happened to randomly walk in with a cake, and Juliette had ice cream in her freezer. Both of us put together a little gift bag, and hurried to have a party. We walked around the corner to their house and Juliette scurried to finish getting the food together. Cheryl was totally unsuspecting and tried to help Juliette in the kitchen, so Juliette made her follow into the dining room where we were. Everyone started singing, and hugging her, and after a round of hugs Cheryl ran off crying. She was so touched by this little act of kindness it took both Juliette and mom to coax her into coming back for cake. She kept saying "I am shy. I am so shy," but she stayed and made a wish on her candles. Cheryl is 27, but she looked like a little 16 year old girl sitting there so touched by her party with tears in her eyes. We talked and laughed for a while, but when it came to presents she just couldn't manage to open them there with us and hugged us, gave us several kisses, and walked off into her room still teary eyed.

I couldn't believe the impact this short, little, quickly thrown together celebration had on her. Cheryl's story is just one of so many women who are working here in a foreign country in order to send money back home. I thought about it and wondered if I could ever move to a strange land where I didn't speak the language and toil endless hours in a random family's house, not knowing how they might treat me, just to send money back to send my siblings to college? I don't think I am that strong. I would like to think I am that selfless, but that is not something I can say. So here's to Filipino housemaids who may be ignored and mistreated, I could never endure half of what many of them have seen.