Why China??

That's a great question.  I think I have a good answer.

 I have two younger brothers.  I love them both dearly, but to this very day I would give anything to have a sister.  I know there are those out there who have sisters and who would tell me having a sister is not all it's cracked up to be.  I guess I would have liked to have been given a chance to find that out on my own.

I decided that if I couldn't have a sister, I would pray to have daughters.  One day, those girls would grow up and hopefully, they would be like sisters.

     So, after Paul and I were married and I found out we were going  to have a child, I desperately wanted a girl.  God blessed me with Shelby.  If you know her, then you understand.  She's different.  I mean that in the most flattering way.  She is creative, entertaining, gifted, funny, teachable...  I could go on and on.  I can't wait to see what God is going to do with her.

Then, I found myself wanting her to have what I never had, a sister.  Along came Gracie!!  How could I make it without her??  She is one of the most observant people I have ever met.  She  knows where everything is and, if she doesn't know where it is, it is not to be found.  She is also sensitive, caring, helpful, loving...

As far as the sister thing....to be honest, right now, it's not all it's cracked up to be.:-)  They argue, fight, complain about one another.  But, they are friends.  I can't expect too much because they are together all day, every day.  My prayer for them is that as their age increases so will their fondness for one another.  

     Now, to the man-child, who everyone calls Action Jackson.  His nickname says it all!  He is the coolest boy.  Not only does he embody all that the word boy means, he has a very gentle sensitive side.  I can't imagine not having him.  He makes life so fun!

     So, back to why I chose China over Romania or any other country.  It goes back to the daughter/sister thing, I think.  Right after Paul and I were married, a couple from our church adopted a little girl from China.   It opened my eyes to China and the one child policy.  It was then that I learned that not only were girls in China not valued, they were discarded.  For the little girl inside me that still longed for a sister, this broke my heart.  It was then and there that my heart started aching for a little girl from China.  I wanted to love one of those little girls that someone left.  Left at the front gates of  social welfare institutes, on the sides of roads or in front of a stores.  Left alone.

     On a side note, after Paul read my first entry, he said he felt like he just ate a dirt sandwich.  I guess he thought it was depressing.  I don't think this one is very uplifting either.  But, if I want to document my journey, this is part of it.  It hasn't been an easy road.  This journey, like life, is full peaks and valleys.  We have to hit the valleys first, but the peaks can be seen in the distance with the sun rising behind them.