Dear orphans,

Welcome to your safe space. Feel free to e-mail me any time. I am one of you. I have been an orphan since I was a little girl. I moved countries and learned a different language. Life can be scary as an orphan. And so for all the orphans out there: I am here. I am now an adult and I care. I care about orphans and about loss and support. I am so lucky to have made long lasting friendships where I can be myself and feel supported and loved. I hope this for every orphan. That they can find a job, a place to live and above all love. Because that is what orphans lack growing up: support and love. To be cared for, to be seen, wanted, held, loved. As an orphan, when you grow up, you come to find, that you need to take care of yourself, as every adult has to do but orphans miss something fundamental: a base, a home to come back to, familiar faces, a warm welcome, a hug, warm words, support, love, encouragement, wise words.

And yes, orphans, we will long for this our whole lives. The longing for a loving and caring parent will never go away. It’s just that it isn’t there and it will continue to hurt. The thing is that what orphans can do is not live in the shadows. Ask for help, show yourself, be part of your community, contribute, be kind, loving and giving, be open to life, see the opportunities, grab life by it’s horns. Life is full of wonders.

Maybe that is why Amelie is my favourite film. A french film full of wonders. A film with a very generous character. Today I decided to send handwritten letters. It gave me a purpose and it felt like I sent love today.

Sending love ❤