Not Easily Forgotten

When Lucas and Eli first came home they spoke often of people, places and things that happened to them in the Philippines. As time has gone on they still talk about these things but now are inserting experiences they've had since arriving home.

Lucas fights very hard to remember everything from the Philippines. He can tell you his daily schedule, the things he played in Manila, his chores at the orphanage and about all the people in his life. Slowly he is becoming "accepting" that there are pieces of his life there that he won't always be able to recall clearly. Not to say that doesn't make him sad, just allows for him to grieve it and open up for new experiences. I've written some of his stories down so later he will still have his thoughts if not the actual memories.

Eli doesn't seem to have that same need to remember every detail as I think his dependence on Lucas to do that for him has always worked in the past. We hear far fewer remembrances from him but that is not to say that he doesn't have them. Once in awhile we catch one of those flashes.

This week-end the boys were outside and I heard Eli scream, (ok they scream and yell outside a lot, so you listen for the "important" screams) Before I could reach the door Eli came running and hollering for Mike. When we got him slowed down enough to understand he was upset about hearing gun shots. We live in the country and it's not at all uncommon to hear neighbors target practicing. Our neighbors are not close but in the country sound travels. It took some convincing but we finally got Eli to understand that it was not the same kind of shooting that he had heard and experienced in Zamboanga and told him who it was and what they were doing.

Both Lucas and Eli have talked a lot about the guards, soldiers and guns in the Philippines. It also made a very real impression on us when we went to Manila. You just don't see a whole lot of that in our insulated world. It is definitely one of those memories I wish they neither one had and were able to easily forget.

I have to say that while we were waiting for the boys to come home last summer and were thinking of all the things we may need to address with them, gunfire was not on my radar.