It's from a poem by Mary Oliver and I think it's a very powerful question to ask yourself. My answer to the question was that I wanted to do something MORE with my one wild and precious life and with our family's one wild and precious life. I wanted us to give another life - a CHILD's life - a chance. A chance to be loved and to be cherished and to be safe and to be part of a family.
Now that we've adopted Emily and that she has become a part of our family, I'm still asking that question. And I'm not sure of the answer. Many people who have adopted say that they are forever changed by what they saw in the orphanages. One writer/pastor put it this way:
“Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms.
But once you do, everything changes.”
-David Platt
But, we didn't "see their faces" in the same sense that many adoptive families do. There were no other children at Emily's orphanage. No faces starting at us from cribs or little chairs. No crying, no sad eyes, no babies sitting in silence, no children suffering in understaffed and poorly maintained places. To the contrary, Emily was happy at her orphanage and was loved. There was a lot of laughter there. There was a garden and lots of sunlight and there were smiles and there was an evident camaraderie among the residents and staff. It was not at all what we expected. So, we weren't impacted IN China like so many other families have been. Still, as we've stayed in touch with adoptive families, stayed active in Facebook and other adoption groups, and as we've followed other families' journeys, we've seen the faces. We've seen the sad eyes. We've seen the vacant stares. We've seen the potential. We've seen the resilience. We've seen children working so hard to learn and to grow. We've seen the hands that just need to be held. We've seen the babies who need to be picked up and cuddled. We've seen the ones who just need someone to see them and to love them. So, what will we do now? How do we respond now? I don't know yet. I'm trying to advocate for children with visual impairments. I'm serving as a resource for some agencies for parents who are interested in children with albinism. We are sponsoring a child at the wonderful organization Bethel China. We are contributing financially to other families' adoption journeys. We are praying for the children and the families. Is it enough? I just don't know. I don't think I'll ever feel the same way again though. I can't forget about the children in China - and so many other places - who just need a chance to be loved.
I guess for now, we'll just continue to do these things and to love the three precious gifts God has given us.
The three pieces of my heart...
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment