How did we get so lucky?

"Out of all the kids how did you get so lucky to get him?" My sweet sister in law asked upon meeting him. 

" I know," I said and had to choke back tears as I watched him smile and the whole room light up. 

I think about this a lot! 

I just read there are 575,000 orphans in the regular orphanages or social welfare institutes in China. But if you add the outside groups like foster homes, there are around a million children. 

Plus, there's another group of children...

 There are children who aren't lucky enough to live in an swi- The street children. (This is a whole other topic that I won't get into. A very sad topic) 

My point is that their are millions of Orphans and that's just in China! 

I saw a handful of those kids with my very own eyes! 

 I've decided to share a few pictures with you today. 

Here's their beautiful darling faces. 

This last little girl in yellow was the one Shane would have ran with! Oh, that little face! 

What did you see? I bet a lot of you are saying "Well, it has cute stickers and it's bright. " 

When I looked at orphanage photos a year ago, I thought that too. 

But while I was there, I don't remember seein those stickers! Or thinking it was bright and happy. 

It was dark. 

It was dreary. 

It smelled like illness and sweat. 

I could feel their pain!

These children ARE in pain! They hurt! It is a hurt that most of us have never felt! A hurt I would NOT wish on anyone!

They need us and they need us now! 

Showing you this one again. 

Did you catch that this is our Chu? 

I'm sure some of you did. 

Confession: 

Most pictures that I put on my FB page were photoshopped to give Chu good coloring. I picked out the cutest pictures and doctored them but this was the reality. 

Obviously, I didn't want to face it! 

This was the picture that made me realize my son wasn't waiting in a happy/Rich loving environment. 

He was an orphan. 

He was in pain! 

He needed me! 

He needed me right then! He didn't get me for another half of year! 

He'd weighed the same weight for over 2 years! 

In two months he has gained 4 pounds!  

There was no reason for him to not gain! None! 

It was senseless. 

How did we get so lucky to get

This squishy little dude that giggles at our mere touch... Sometimes he giggles simply because I look at him. 

 

This little dude who pulls funny faces just to make us laugh. 

We lovingly call this face his "crazy Kung foo face" He has perfect comical timing! Pulls this face anytime we get too serious! Lol

This little dude who soaking up love like a sponge and is trying his hardest to give 10 x more love back. 

He can't quite pucker his lips and his kisses sound more like "mop" then a "smooch."

Chu is darling! He is precious! How did we get so lucky?

 

The statistics are high! 

 You could get lucky too! 

There's lots of darling children waiting! Lots of cute personalities hiding behind these sad faces! 

Give them a chance! 

Pray for them! Pray for what our Heavenly Father wants you to do for them. It might be to...

Donate to Love without Boundaries

(Not UNICEF!) 

Donate to adoption funds! (Heck, if someone would give us the money we'd be back for the little girl in yellow.;) )

Adopt yourself! You'll be amazed how The Lord provides the money and the room in your heart. 

Don't forget them! 

They need you now!

Lilacs and Mothers

If you hadn't caught on that I love flowers. You will. I suppose It was a must. I come from a long line of flower lovers on both sides. 

I'm so thankful this gene was passed down to me. 

It is hard for me to pick a favorite flower but Lilacs win. 

As a child, I Remember hiding in the lilac bushes and just loving that sweet fragrance and the magic of imagination that turned  regular bushes into houses. 

My favorite memory includes my Mom.  I guess it's more like memor- ies Because it happened almost every year. 

Mom always picks me a giant bouquet of lilacs. 

When I was a preschooler, I remember going with her to a vacant church that had giant lilac bushes and we would cut big bouquets.  

At school age, I would come home from school to the gorgeous purple bouquets on my dresser. I could smell them before I could see them. The smell and anticipation was amazing. 

My mom planted bushes outside my window so I could open my window and enjoy the smell every spring. 

(I have lilacs planted at almost every window at my home, now. )

Even as a grown up, mom brings me lilacs. One year she drove three hours to bring me a big bouquet. 

She's brought me little lilac plants to plant around our home.  Shane and I have planted, at least, ten. And we don't have enough! 

This year,  Shane brought me home practically a whole bush that he'd cut/ stole off a vacant lot. (Pictured below)

Lilacs take more effort. You have to find the perfect bush and cut and break the branches to bring them to a loved one. 

They take much more effort the buying a bouquet at the store. 

Then lilacs really have to be babied so they last as long as possible. Cutting them just right to fit in the vase. Plucking leaves below the water line to prevent rot.  (If your name is Lacy you might make a huge mess!)

Keeping the bouquet alive includes  Draining the water and putting fresh to prevent mold. Keeping the bouquet in the right room tempurature. And even after all this, they might only last two days. 

So why? Why make the effort? Why bother when they only last a moment? 

Because they are special. They evoke nastalgia, antiquity, imagination, they are stunning to look at! But most of all they remind me of love and sacrifice from my mom.  

That's what Mother's  do. They love us unconditionally. They sacrifice for their children. They put forth effort for special moments. 

My Mom is such a special sweet person. I am so thankful she is my mom. This one act of kindness shown through lilacs is just a drop in the bucket of what she's done.  Dear Mom, I hope you know how much I love you! I hope you know I realize your sacrifices. Happy Mothers Day sweet Mom! 

I hope I'm half the momma she is. Being a mom isn't always easy but I'm so thankful to be a mom. I'm so thankful that Heavenly Father has I trusted five precious little souls into my care. 

I'm thankful for our little newbie and how god guided us to him! 

And TODAY, I'm extremely thankful for Another mom. Chu's birth mom! 

Somewhere on the other side of the world another amazing mom is sad. She's missing this little boy. 

How do I know this? I guess I don't, for sure. I have never met her and probably won't until the good lord brings us together on the other side. 

But my own mother intuition knows.Chu's  mom is sad. She's missing him. She's wondering about him. Chu was found this very weekend three years ago. Oh the irony... I'm sure this weekend never passes without pain. 

Chu's birth mom made the ultimate sacrifice! She couldn't afford medical care and probably couldn't afford to feed him. So she did what she felt was best. 

Chu will grow up knowing that two momma's love him very much. 

Someday when we meet on the other side, I'm going to wrap my arms around her neck and thank her. 

I just bet when that day happens that there will be lilacs. :) 

Happy Birth Mother's Day to her and all the birth momma's out there. 

Happy Mothers Day to all moms!