Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Our Second Forever Family Day

Their gifts from China this year were chops--stamps with their names in English and Chinese.
J.J.'s chop

Tori's favorite part
of cake eating!

January 21. . .

It seems so far away that two years ago we were in the midst of getting to know our beautiful daughter, while at the same time, aching for our handsome eight-year-old son and longing for all of us to be together at home. In the last two years, we have settled into our lives together with the routine and the unexpected. Each day, Chris and I have found joy in raising such two beautiful and clearly unique individuals. . .both full of independence, but still in need of nurturing from Mom and Dad. Clearly, God had this family planned from the start because we can look back and see Him working diligently to bring us together. This will always be our special day to celebrate and rejoice in our family of four (add one furry family member, too).

And. . .with is anniversary, this is something that has really been on my mind lately. I guess that some might consider this a "rant," but I have heard lots and read lots that really has this chiseled in my brain. So here it goes. . .

Recently, I read about "shoe shine girls" from China. These are girls who are released from orphanages by fifteen/sixteen years of age. It doesn't matter how smart they are, how beautiful, or how talented, these girls are turned away by their society. They have no where else to go, no one to turn to except for what the streets have to offer. (And we all know where that can lead.) These girls/women sit on the streets, basically clothed in rags, and beg to shine a passerby's shoes. They are hardened by life and have angry eyes that show their contempt for a society who has thrown them away.

In the past, we have been asked, why did we choose China for our adoption? Well, the answer in the past (and will continue to be) is that is where Tori was and God led us there. But, I guess there is another reason that I never have offered until now. A little girl in a foreign country needed a future. You know that here in the U.S. our system does release children from state custody at eighteen. Although they may have a rough road ahead compared to others who do have families, they do have a chance to fight their way through. Little girls in China don't get that chance. They are lower class citizens who are forced to beg their way through life just to stay alive.

No, we can't save every one of them, but I would like to. So please remember these girls/women as you pray that one day they and others to come will find a future and a place in their society.

Thank you to our friends and family for loving our children like you do. Jonathan and Tori are here because it was God's will, but also because you prayed for us during all of our waiting to have them in our lives.


1 comment:

Musings from Kim K. said...

Happy Anniversary Whaley family. What a beautiful post. No matter how hard the day seems, I can't imagine the life our daughters would have had if they had been left behind.

Continued blessings to your family.