Saving Smiles

By Lucille Janinyan, Yerevan, Armenia

It was in March. The world had closed its doors, as if making people open their hearts.

Back then, I never liked children. Their noise drove me crazy. My mother is a pediatrician. I always draw parallels with my childhood and sick children’s crying voices. My mom was always in a hurry. Always having time for the rest of the world, for the rest of the children, but not for me.

Someone knocked at the door. It was a man, nearly my age, flowers in his hands. It turned out my mother had saved his life, when he was a child, and he spent more than five years trying to find her. He came just to say  “Continue your work.”

And I started to think about all the children I never liked. I started to think about their parents. 

I opened my Facebook page and typed, “I am ready to work with your child online, for free, feel free to join us.”

After several minutes, I had gotten more than 100 requests and started my task. 

Now, I can’t imagine my life without the sunshine of these children coming to my room through my notebook screen every morning. Just imagine, four year old children already speaking and writing in English.  And suddenly, I am receiving videos of Gayane, Arame, Milana, Angela, Van., saying, "Miss Lucille, we love you, we like our lessons.”

My mom is at the hospital, now. I am sending her children’s videos to encourage her to continue her work, for their smiles. Mom is saving lives; I am saving smiles. : )