Another Journey of Love Completed

In the 6 years that I have been a dossier consultant, I have worked with over one hundred families to bring their children home. Each of these families is special to me, each of their children is "my" child. But every so often I work with a family where we have a connection that goes beyond the business of completing their dossier; something special happens and we form a bond of friendship. Some of these families are featured on my website, and one of these families just arrived home today from China with their beautiful 7 year old daughter Long Xiu Ying, now known as Sarah Ann XiuYing. Sarah had been waiting for her forever family for a long time, but there is no denying that she has found them and they have found her. The love her parents felt for her from the very beginning was so strong - their desire to get her home before her 7th birthday so she wouldn't spend another one without a family burned in their hearts as they did everything they could to hasten the homestudy and documentation process. Unfortunately, life and the USCIS kept them from being with Sarah for her birthday, but their Gotcha Day was a day of celebration, in a way their family's birthday.

Sarah's parents posted the following video with photos of their new daughter taken in China. This spirited little girl comes even more alive in front of a camera - it's hard to believe that she's only 7! Enjoy!

And congratulations to Sarah and her Mom and Dad!! May you continue to be blessed with the gift of each other.

Why I Love What I Do...

Recently, I was at a local restaurant where a bridal shower was being held. The party hostess and her sister, the bride-to-be, looked very familiar to me, but I couldn't place them. It was driving me crazy. After a while, I went over to the hostess, said hello and told her that I believed I knew her. She asked if I'd ever gone to a particular hair salon, where both she and her sister worked. That was it! "Yes!! You both used to cut my hair. I'm Teresa, I have two little girls from China." My girls were the topic of conversation whenever I was at the salon ever since they'd come in with me one day when I went for a haircut.

"Oh sure, Hi! How have you been? You know, Donna got her daughter from Korea. She's here - Donna?!? Donna?!? Wave!!" With that, a woman at the other end of the party waved to us.

I had first spoken with Donna about international adoption almost a year and a half ago. When she heard I had children from China, she asked to speak with me about the adoption process. Donna told me that she had three young sons who she adored, but her heart yearned for a daughter. She had been talking about adoption with her husband, and the China program seemed like a good one for adopting a little girl. She asked if travel was required and when I answered yes, she said that that wouldn't be good because both she and her husband did not like to fly, plus they had their sons they'd have to either bring along or arrange for care for them at home, and she couldn't be away from them for that long. I told her that the Korean program did not require travel, that the child could be escorted to the U.S., and that there were many girls available for adoption. I recommended that she contact New Beginnings, a local adoption agency with an active Korean adoption program. That was the last time I was at the salon. I called Donna a few days later and she told me that she and her husband had an appointment the following week to meet with the agency director and discuss the Korea program.

I approached the woman who waved from across the room. "Hi Donna. I don't know if you remember me...I'm Teresa. I met you at the salon a while back. We talked about adoption from China and Korea. Roseanne told me that you completed your adoption from Korea and your daughter is home."

"Teresa!! Of course I remember you. Yes, Grace came home in May - she's 9 months old, and she's perfect, perfect!" Donna gushed on about her beautiful little girl, her adoption story, and how well Grace had settled into her new family. "The boys just love her - we all do!! Teresa, you were right, it was the best thing I've ever done in my life! Thank you so much for pointing me in the direction of my daughter."

Donna asked for my email address so she could send me some pictures of Grace. That's Donna and Grace on Gotcha Day (above). Their photo captures why I love what I do. A child who had no family now has a family forever. A mother who yearned for a daughter now has a daughter to love.

Helping to make families - what could be better than that?