We love to see you smile!

Mercedes has been riding Bus #9 for quite a while now. When she first started riding, she annoyed me because she would never smile and she would never talk to me. After awhile, I learned to appreciate her more because she would actually sit still and behave on the bus and she would encourage her siblings to do the same.

Until last week, I never took the time to notice something that was pretty much staring me in the face. Her brother was an absolute terror last week. The whole way home on the bus he screamed because he didn't get a piece of candy. He is probably about 8 or 9 years old. It was pretty pitiful. The rest of the bus was relatively quiet because they were shocked I think. While he was being very unruly, Mercedes was getting her other sisters and brother away from him and was making sure that he was leaving them alone.

After we got back to the church that afternoon, Caleb and myself were discussing what we might do about a situation like that in the future when past events finally registered in my mind. Every Sunday when I would go to their door, Mercedes was making sure her brothers and sisters had their nice clothes on, their hair was brushed, could find their shoes, were keeping the dogs inside, and who knows what else. Things were starting to register....she more than likely takes care of herself and her siblings throughout the week. Why doesn't she mess around on the bus? She's really frown up for her age. Why does she not smile that much? She is living with a lot more pressure than any one little girl should have to.

My heart was touched like it hasn't been in awhile. I instantly called up Linda (one of the new workers on our bus) and told her I wanted to talk to her later about a bus kid. Later, we discussed this and she agreed to take her visiting with her on Saturday. I thought that she deserves a chance to get away from that house for a little bit.

When Saturday rolled around, we planned to meet at McDonald's for lunch. I now take a sack lunch to save money, but this week I decided to buy lunch for myself and for Mercedes. When we got there, I asked her what she wanted and she told me. Of course, I did what every kid dreams about and asked her if she wanted to get a milkshake instead of a drink. Her eyes lit up and a huge smile crossed her face. After we got her food and ate, I asked her if there was anything else she wanted (I was thinking ice cream). She wanted more actual food, so I got her another sandwich and ice cream for myself. I think that was the most I have ever seen her smile.

Why was she happy? Maybe it was because she didn't have the pressure of taking care of her siblings right then. Maybe it was because she got to eat at McDonald's and she got a milkshake. Maybe it was because she got to horse around with Bro. Jorge. All these things could have made her smile, but I think the biggest reason was because she was surrounded by people that she knew cared about her, and she knew that someone had taken time to show her how much they loved her.