The Talk - Again

When we got JJ's referral I sent a gift pack that included a photo album.  Good thing I kept a copy of the same album here because the original never made it.

The album is pretty tattered by now, and not often looked at, but tonight as we did our 10 minutes of rocking before bed JJ pulled it out again.  First she asked what she was wearing in the litte photo in the front pocket.  Then she looked at the first picture of Mr. M and I in the album and asked where she was.

"You were waiting in China for us to come get you".
She turned to me with tears in her eyes. "I was crying.  I don't want you to leave me in China"
My heart cried a little with her, but I quietly told her the truth "we would never leave you in China.  Even if we all went to China for a visit we would bring you home with us.  We are your permanent family.  You are our daughter forever"

JJ said what she so often says "tell me the story".  So I tell it one more time, but with more detail.

I tell her about how she was living with her foster family until a permanent family could be found.  And one day we wrote a letter to China asking if there were any little girls needing a family because we were a family needing a little girl.  About how we flew to Beijing and how cold it was, and we were wearing all our warm clothes and JJ in Hohhot wearing all hers.  We flew to Hohhot and they told us the babies were on the 8th floor, so we got in the elevator and went to meet them.. JJ was in a beautiful outfit with a decorated jacket and quilted pants and Mr. M leaned over to me and whispered "that  must be Nick and Kristen's little girl-she is soo beautiful"  But I saw a glimpse of another little girl in the corner and I knew that was Mia - and JJ was the beautiful little girl in the scarlet dragon jacket. 

I talked about foster families and forever permanent families, and I told JJ I would show her the paper that said she was part of our family forever.

I usually put her straight to bed, one glass of water and done for the nite, but tonite I pretended to give her 3 bottles and JJ asked me to play "zip zip" - a little face stroking game we used in our sleep time ritual when she first came home. 

All is well here, except that life really is not fair, particularly to the smallest and weakest among us. 

Thank you Lord for the opportunity to be MaMa to this little soul.  Help me to Shepard the gift well.