Everyone has a miracle..here is ours..: July 2009

How I walk through life...

“I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.”

Monday, July 27, 2009

Jiang Cheng Reunion!!

I am still pretty speechless when it comes to this past weekend. We had our reunion with the families from Olyvia's Orphanage. We all met in St. Louis. All of the families were from different parts of the United States.... Chicago, Kansas, Texas even Ohio...Every one of us made the long haul for one reason. To reunite our daughters with their sisters from China.

I am still processing much of the weekend, but what I can say is OH MY GOD!

When I looked into the eyes of each parent I realized how lucky we all are. These girls have brought us all excitement, love, understanding and a new found sense of compassion and need to grasp life with all that we have. These children have brought us happiness. We are the lucky ones as they completed what we were missing...

There are several common denominators I found with each child. They are all stubborn, they are all full of life and their intelligence is mind blowing. Looking back and reflecting on their abandonment, their orphanage and how they spent their first few months of life...I am amazed at the resilience of children. Love..it really is a cure for all things...

The first photos in the above video are of Olyvia's referral picture, Olyvia on the red couch and all of the girls for a group photo on the red couch. These fragile tiny babies have turned into the beautiful toddler girls which you will witness in the pictures that follow...

Adoption. Motherhood. Commitment...I need a few days to sort my feelings, but I would like to touch back on these issues in the coming days...These girls have brought Olyvia and myself so much more then I can explain this evening...My life changed that humid day in August of 2007, and today I feel like I can finally share what I have learned on those topics...

Part II to follow.....