To the left is a picture of my adopted
father. He was my hero and would call me his "Little Princess."
I felt so special.
Dad (a title I gladly learned to use) taught me my most valuable
lesson in life - that lesson was UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
He was a saintly man!
He showed me how to treat others with respect and how to make
everyone feel special. He was my mentor, my soul teacher. He was
not only successful in caring for his family, he was successful
in business.
I was happy for the first time in my life for I belonged to
a family unit. It didn't matter where they were from - it only
mattered that they wanted me.
Life was good for four years - I remember the wonderful candlelight
dinners, the maid who brushed my hair every day so I would look
like Shirley Temple (the trend in those days), the trips to the
open market and buying silly sun glasses, the egg lady that would
bring the eggs by every day and how at Easter she always had a
rabbit for us, the fruit vendors with their quaint carts.
I also remember having to learn to share with my new brother
(the one in the picture). Now, that was no easy task!
I was encouraged to not speak German which caused me to eventually
forget it. Spanish and English were the spoken languages.
I thought my life was perfect and that it would go on forever.
I had everything a child could ever want including love - so much
love - something an orphan can never get enough of.
