We left little pieces of our hearts in China...

Isabel and I are well settled at home now. She's back to school and I am back to work. It is like we were never there.....except we are grieving for the children and haunted by them. We think about them a lot and talk about them and see their little faces in our minds eye and wonder what will become of them. Each one is so special and they so deserve absolutely nothing but the best. Mostly I so long to see them with a Mum and Dad and to be loved beyond all measure. Sigh!!

I have heard from Lily's (formerly Sarah)  Mum and she is settling in well. Wonder what is going through her little mind? Does she realize how her future has changed and how different her life will be. Probably not.

We have talked to a lot of people since coming home and our exchanges have to be brief even though we would like to go on and on about the kids. A few have been incredibly sensitive and have wanted to "know" everything and see our pictures and follow our blog. Even some very young people, which touched us.  Most people just cannot relate to the plight of orphans unless they actually see it and some not even then.  Perfectly natural. We are all so busy with our lives and our families and "stuff". Still I feel so lucky to have gone on this trip and that Isabel got to see all she did. We are changed because of it and hope we can hold on to what we feel now. Especially Isabel. I worried that a 12 year old wouldn't be able to "get" it. She got it and in spades!!!! Isabel has always been a spiritual child and I think given what she saw this will do more for her soul than I would ever have thought possible.  She knows what an orphans life is like; she has seen an orphanage and knows how children live there ; she has seen kids with deformities, and she has seen a child die from starvation and little ones fighting for our attention. She knows these things. Derek and I have tried to counsel her when she tells us people aren't too interested in hearing about what she did for spring break. That they can't know what she does because it is so far out of their realm of understanding. And that it's okay.

She and I know and that is what matters and eventually, if it is meant to be, our friends will too.