27 years ago, I got my first job teaching children. I loved working with kids, singing songs, playing games, doing art, learning, and growing. I did not know at the time that taking care of children would become the theme of my life.
Over the years, I have been a mentor and teacher to thousands of children and adults in the United States, Spain, Japan, Korea, and most recently Africa, all the while knowing that my deepest wish was to be a mother.
I kept waiting for the right circumstances, the right husband, the right place, or the right timing to be a mom.
But in one life-changing moment, I realized there is never a “right” time.
Last July, I got a phone call that my closest friend had suddenly passed away during the night–no warning, no preparation, no nothing. It was one of the saddest moments of my life. I felt like I had been shot in the heart. That week, I called a friend crying and she consoled me by saying “if you become who your friend was for you, you will never lose her.”
Who was my friend for me …?? She was the mother I had always wanted to be.
Everything changed from then on. I understood that life is too short to wait for the perfect moment. There are no more excuses and no more fear.
I asked myself, if I want to be a mom, where are there children who need a mother?
And the rest, as they say, is history. On December 14th, I flew to Uganda to meet the children of the Good Hope School (www.goodhopeschool.net). I had never been to Africa and I flew there alone. The universe brought me to the people who helped me get there and to the people who needed me. Everything divinely came together.
In Uganda, they call me “Mugisha”, which means gift. They think I am a gift to them. But the real gift is who they are for me. There, in a small village near Kabale town, I met over 100 children and my Ugandan family. Many of the children are orphans. Their village has no electricity and no indoor plumbing, but it has an abundance of laughter, community, connection, and love. Everywhere there are children, they run out of their houses to greet me, and hug me, and sing to me.
I could not choose just one child to love, so I chose to love them all–all 186 of them! And now they all have a “Mama Mugisha”. They have someone who will make sure that they get what they need to prosper and flourish. And oh so perfectly, they allow me to be who I have always wanted to be.
So if there is someone or something that you want to be:
Don’t wait. There is no day but today. Find someone who wants what you have to give and just BE. The universe will take care of the rest. I promise.
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For pictures of the children : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sX2_yvaBNw
For information : www.goodhopeschool.net
To get involved, contact : micaela@miraclecatcher.com
This story is dedicated with love to Meg Athon, Donna K. Gottlieb, and my mother Marilyn.
Thank you to the wonderful mamas in this world who love us. You are all a gift!Â
In gratitude,
Micaela Bellopede
The Miraclecatcher Foundation
