Leaving Nanning

Today we will leave Nanning. It is a bittersweet time. On one hand, we are ready to go. We are ready to move on to Guangzhou and finish the American paperwork necessary for us to return home. We understand that there are many more American conveniences in Guangzhou. We are ready for that. We are ready to meet up with so many families that we have met in the last year along this journey. Many of us will be there at the same time. It will be nice to meet them and see their children.
On the other hand, today we will take our daughter away from the province that she was born. We are leaving behind her place of birth. We are grateful that we have been given so many pieces of her life puzzle to be able to piece together a pretty good picture of her past. But, yet, this place is her history, and today we fly away - from the past toward the future.
As we leave today, I think of those whose lives have been touched by my precious Ning Yi - her birth parents - who quite possibly were faced with a child who's needed medical attention was greater than their resouces could provide. So on the doorway to a small hotel in Ningming county, China, they took their daughter, with a piece of jade (symbol of good luck in China) tied on a red thread tied as a necklace on her neck, and left their daughter to be found by someone who could care for her. I wonder how they felt? I wonder where they are? I wonder if they think of her every day as I have for the last year? I hope that they know that she will be eternally loved.
I think of her foster family who loved for for 2 1/2 years. I wonder if they realize that LiLi will leave today? I wonder if they are able to make it though the day without weeping over her loss. We have told them how grateful we are for their excellent caring and loving of her. We told them how much we love her, and how we will always care for and love her. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
I think of those children who remain in this city without a home. I think especially of those children that have a "special need" that causes them to wait for a family. We are told that very few children have ever been placed from AbbyGrace's orphanage. We were told that very few people will consider a child with a need. The orphanage directer was so very thankful to us for adopting our daughter. I think of those children that remain. Many of which will remain in these orphanages for their entire lives.
And just so you won't begin to think more of us than you ought, this doesn't mean that we are "great people" who have done a noble thing. This was a completely selfish act. We wanted a child. We wanted a daughter. We saw her picture, we fell in love with her instantly - we wanted to be her parents. We are the selfish ones.
But to those who are not as selfish as we are, that ARE great people, and have the means of caring for a child, I ask you - will you think of these children today with me? Will you condsider parenting one of these children? Woud you count it a privilege to help one of these children grow to adulthood - while enjoying spoiling them every day of their lives? You would change their life forever.