My beautiful book has a few pages torn though thankfully none of the pages are ruined. The dust cover took the brunt of Jack’s interest and was completely destroyed. Sadly, there was nothing to do except gather the pieces and carry them to the trash. After completing that task, I sat on the floor and looked through the pages of the book for additional damage. I was once again captured by the beautiful photos. So many smiling children and so many grateful parents! The sheer joy rising from those pages is riveting. Every time I open this beautiful book my heart is captured anew.
As I flipped through the pages my eye was caught by an essay, “Meeting My Daughter.” This essay speaks beautifully about the long wait for a child and the flutters of excitement in the moments just before their daughter is placed in her mother’s arms for the first time. A page later I found myself giggling at the “Top 11 Reasons for a ‘Wait’” bringing a bit of comic relief to the wait that only adoptive parents can truly appreciate. Turning yet a few more pages brought tears came to my eyes as I read an essay about a 3-year old little girl named YaYa living in an orphanage. YaYa begged the aunties to take her picture so her mommy and daddy could find her. Flipping pages I was again laughing as I read about a family eating breakfast in a Beijing restaurant and hoping to learn the results of the 2006 World Cup soccer tournament – their inquiries and eventual charades resulted in the bewildered restaurant staff delivering a bottle of Tabasco sauce to their table. Pages later I was overcome with wonder reading the story of a three-year-old little girl who told her mother a sister named Obedience was waiting for her in China. Months went by before the mother just happened to visit a list of Waiting Children and clicked on one of those precious photos to find that the child was a little girl named Obedience! My soul was lifted by page after page of beautiful children and the amazing stories written by parents, children, loving foster parents, and aunties.
My morning started off badly with the discovery that a puppy’s interest in one of my favorite books had forever left its mark on it, but the mark Love’s Journey 2 has left on my heart continues undamaged. I can’t think of a better way to begin my workday at Love Without Boundaries than to have enjoyed a few moments alone with Love’s Journey 2, dust cover intact or otherwise. I hope that if you own a copy of this incredible book that you’ll take a moment to enjoy its pages today. If you do not yet own this book then I hope you’ll consider purchasing a copy either for yourself or as a Mother’s Day gift for someone special. Love’s Journey 2 is a treasure for parents and an heirloom for children. I do recommend that if you have a new puppy in your family you might want to keep this particular coffee table book off the coffee table!
To order Love’s Journey 2 please visit the LWB store at http://store01.prostores.com
Debbie Smith
Tuan Yuan Adoption Assistance Coordinator
