So this is a blah day. My little 2 have colds and one even has a fever, it is rainy and gray outside, and i can hear the train blowing in the distance as people commute to their jobs this morning. Don't get me wrong, i love the rain...I mean LOVE it. And so the question sparks, what exactly will this day accomplish? Not much maybe, but this post is a rarity and i am enjoying the muse of the moment.
My thoughts are on Aimee. I think of the difference in her since we first met in that poor, gloomy little room in South Central China. The weather today for some reason reminds me of that part of the world. When she was carried into the room, i was not expecting it. I remember looking at her and actually it taking a moment to register that it was her. She was thin, and had an expression of confusion on her face. She wouldn't let me touch her. I had to coax her to pay attention to me by feeding her fries. She stared at Juli quite a bit. It was obvious that Juli made her feel at least a tiny bit more comfortable.
Finally she was handed to me. At that moment life changed forever. The screaming began. It never stopped, no matter how many fries i gave her. She was angry, sad, scared.
So when i see her this morning sitting on the couch with her Dora blanket, in her cozy jammies, watching a movie happily even though she is sick, I can't help but remember those times. Things are far from perfect now. I mean she still is not the most cuddly kid you will ever meet. But she is comfortable. She is joyful most of the time. She is at home here. And so much of that is thanks to her siblings. Because when i just had no more patience to give with the struggle of bonding, they just kept loving her, smiling at her, hugging her (too much probably) and accepting her. For that i am eternally grateful.
I thought i would post 2 pictures of Aimee. One from the first day we met. And one more recent. Her Christmas picture for this year. She has changed so much she is almost unrecognizable. And only God can do that. He sets the lonely in families. Even when we think we will never know normal again, things get better. Your sense of normal just morphs into something different than you had expected. And now there is one less orphan in the world...
Aimee on the day we met...
Aimee now...
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