We will never know what all Lia went through prior to May 31, 2010. However, there is one thing we know beyond the shadow of a doubt: we are here for her forever through the good times and the not so good as we all adjust to the many changes.

Thanks to the generosity of wonderful friends and family she is outfitted like a true Princess so even when she pouts she sure is cute!
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Perfect weather for a walk!

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(Un)Adopted

 What does it mean to be (un)adopted?

To be (un)adopted means that I am lonely, even in an orphanage filled with children. To be (un)adopted means I have no future, even though I am pretty sure I will get out of bed tomorrow, next week, or next month. To be (un)adopted means I am left behind, as I see dozens of families coming to get the other children. Does my life matter to anyone?  (an excerpt taken from Lifelines website today. PLEASE click on the link and read the rest.) 

This very thought was made even more real to me today as Lia and I were driving and passed an apartment complex which obviously reminded her of her orphanage in China.  She pointed and excitedly said, "My friend!"  She was insistent that her friend was there.  She told me that her friend "went bye bye."  When I asked if she went with her mommy and daddy, thinking that maybe she had been adopted, she said, "No mommy daddy."  Tears stung my eyes as I saw the hurt in hers.  I felt so priveleged that God had given us the opportunity to give her a gift that countless children all over the world will never know. 

I don't know what she was thinking about her friend, but I do know that she knows exactly what it means to get to go home to a mommy and daddy and be loved with an unconditional love.  Something many of her other friends are still waiting for. 

Today, her physical heart is healing beautifully, thanks to the amazing work of Dr. Tam and his wonderful team. However,  it is moments such as these that show that her emotional heart is still grieving.

He is an amazingly brilliant AND loving doctor! Love this photo!

As she has gained more language recently, she has begun talking about her home in China. Her prayers bring a tear to my eyes most nights as she prays for her friends that don't have a mommy and daddy while we read, I Love You Like Crazy Cakes and talk about how we will always love her and never leave her.

A couple of blogs really caught my attention today that I hope you will take the opportunity to click on and read.  One was a post at Building the Blocks and one at Where Learning Flows.  Each of these blogs show such a heart for the orphans of the world and a desire to live out His commandments in James 1:27.  I know that we are not all called to adopt, but we are all called to pray and love and care.  Won't you pray for the least of these today?  After all, if you remember, you were also adopted:

...he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ,

in accordance with his pleasure and will—Ephesians 1:5

One last pose before my camera got broken.
This is what happens when sisters play!