Happy Adoption Day, December 8

Today I finally update about Joshua's Adoption 1 year ago on December 8th in China (when he was legally declared our forever son in both countries).... and it's our oldest child's Adoption Day TODAY! Happy Adoption Day, Ryan!!!! :-) Nineteen years ago, we finalized your adoption... our first child. Wow.

December is a crazy busy time for most families, and ours is no exception. Between schools (3 kids in 3 schools this year), doctor and therapy appts, running a small farm, Phil's intensive harvest and planting season finally wrapped up for 2010, and Christmas coming.... it's hard to stop and take a deep breath! And yet we did on December 8th :-) as we celebrated Joshua with a Chinese meal, party cupcakes with a "1" candle, and a toy gift.

One year ago. Wow. After 14 long months of working towards Joshua's adoption, and wondering if it would EVER happen, we met Joshua for the very first time on 12/7 in Guangzhou, China. We were total strangers to each other, and yet we knew each other. We already loved the small boy we had prayed over for so very long. And he recognized US as the people in his photo book! He was telling perfect strangers in China "This is my new mama and baba and they're taking me to live in a foreign country!!". :-) Precocious, vocal, stubborn, opinionated, what were we getting into! ;-D We hadn't even known if he was verbal or not until we met him!!

China has one meet the child one day, and then sign all of the adoption paperwork the very next day in front of a Chinese Notary. He asks each parent "Are you happy with your choice?" My heart broke for those (hopefully extremely few!) whose potential adoptive parents have said no and returned the child! Phil and I both said "Yes, we are very happy" and I leaned over and kissed Joshua on his birthmark in case there was any doubt in the translation. :-) With a tear in his eye, the Notary mumbled "thank you for doing this" and signed the papers.

The Chinese love and adore children. Joshua was treated very well by many of the locals, and he chattered away with many of them. He was shunned by some of the local professionals we encountered, at which point he'd freeze and stare at the ground and refuse to move or look up until such person left the area. :-( Why is it that a people that seems to adore ALL of the kids, still refuse (for the most part) to parent special needs children, those with ANY blemish, or throw a label of "bad luck" on them?? I don't understand the culture enough to answer that. I do know that many that were happy Josh was going to the US were under the false assumption that we were going to "remove" all of his birthmarks, and give him a fresh start in life. Um no...that is not physically possible, currently. We love and adore our very colorful son just as God made him!! :-) I know that even in the US, there are too many people who fail to look beyond a person's surface looks, and see the REAL person inside. I thank God often that Phil and I HAVE that ability... and I pray it develops even more within me.

God looks at each of us, and doesn't see a "perfect" outer body, NOR a "perfect" inner soul. If HE can still love and adore us despite our many, many imperfections and sins... how can we not strive to learn to do the same for others?

THANK YOU Ryan, Toshia, Robert and Joshua... for the many life lessons you have been teaching us. :-) We love and adore all of you... even if we don't always show it like we should...