Lydia
Lydia was from a broken home. She tried her best to dress for school, always entering the classroom with a hair full of mats, she had attempted to brush the front but had not come to realise the back.
Everyone saw her coming by her smell. It was so obvious she had been neglected although everyone carried on with the class like normal. What disturbed me was no one sat next to her, I could feel her pain.
I was about 7 at the time. I remember moving myself along the school mat to befriend her. It wasn’t her fault her family was so dysfunctional, I didn’t want to even imagine what was going on there. I was too young to consider it.
All I knew is I wanted to make a difference to how she felt. I came to school one day with my brush and hair ties in tow and determined. My heart was beating fast…as I approached her stretching my arms open I passed her my hair ties.
The excitement on her face was indescribable, her gratitude filled my heart. I still remember now, combing her long black hair and her emotional state changing. I wanted her to hold onto this feeling of feeling cared for, loved. This is when I first started to work with those needing support, as the years went on I would bring different girls home after school and Mum would know I was trying to make a difference in their lives, she would allow for a few hours of play and then drive them home.
