It was a fun privilege today to get to carry my baby to school. Ben usually gets the honors but last night when he asked if I would carry her I jumped at the opportunity. As she finished breakfast I grabbed her backpack and noticed an orange note attached.
This is an easy way we pass information back and forth to her teacher. The note attached said something like "My family came from/or I came from_______."
I very briefly thought to myself, what am I going to put? China? Then reason took over and I decided I must put mine and Ben's ancestry information. I'm positive this is something I should already know, but I didn't. On the way to school, I quickly called my mom. She tells me to call my aunt JoAnn. I called my aunt JoAnn and she gives me the Barker/McCain information. I then called Ben's mom to get his ancestry information. She gave me the Fitzgerald/Wheeler and Hansard information. I then tried my daddy several times to get the Ramsey information. He didn't answer. I had to quickly text our dear friend, Michael Shuman, and get him to google the information. I got the answer within 30/45 seconds. (Thanks Michael!)
I quickly wrote the information down on the orange paper and attached it back to Chloe's backpack. I told her all the information so she would be familiar with it in case someone asked. I was looking at her in my rear view mirror and she said: "But what about me? Where did I come from? You're supposed to put your kids on there too!"
I giggled a little then calmly said: "You're from China." I felt like I needed to add something so I continued: "You know, you're really lucky to be from China. People from China are REALLY smart!" She then said: "Yea, and we listen good too!"
Of course, it's no secret she's from China. We have always talked about how God picked her out for us and how we flew across the world to get her. But I never know when one question will lead to other questions. Questions I might not be able to answer. Luckily today, there were no other questions. I have been prayerfully trying to prepare myself but I'm not sure I'll ever be ready. I've grown accustomed to stares when we are in public with her. Aside from the fact that we think she's beautiful, she is Chinese. The three of us were recently in a local restaurant and a Vietnamese gentleman immediately noticed Chloe. He began questioning me where she was from, did we get her from her parents or from an adoption agency. Honestly, my heart began racing. She was busy getting her drink and I didn't want her to hear. I quietly answered his questions but when he said: "So, she doesn't know her mother and father?" I had to firmly correct him and tell him, "We're her mother and father!"
Thankfully, we mostly gets smiles. And this morning after the "You're from China" discussion she kissed me with a smile, jumped out of the backseat and hurried into school.
One day I know she will want to know the details of her adoption. I'll be able to show her a picture of the note that was attached to her and a picture of her daddy standing in the spot where she was found. I pray her confidence will be strong in the Lord and she will know how wanted she was. That God had this perfect plan for her life.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:3-6
