Dear Sweet Friends and Family,
Well, it was an awesome day! I woke up to a song by Avalon about orphans in my head. I wish I remembered the title but it is a powerful song that had encouraged me in the past. We all woke up with great expectation of meeting Rosie Kate. It’s funny I wasn’t worried at all. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and this morning I had great hope and faith. Amazingly enough, everything was absolutely perfect. I have watched many gotcha day videos just to prepare myself for the day and I have talked to several moms and dads who have adopted children. I have heard parents tell me she will cry for eight hours and she may not acknowledge you or your husband. She may not eat for 24 hours but just don’t worry it will get better. Well, after, Will and I had heard those stories; we were prepared for the worst but hoping for the best. I also remembered watching some of those gotcha day videos where it seemed like that first time meeting was perfect. I thought just what if we could have a meeting like that. What if she didn’t cry and what if she loved us all? What if when she met us it was like coming home? No worries, no crying and no fear just a great moment and video to remember. Well, that’s what happened and I still can’t believe it. I have the video and smile on my face to prove it. Rosie Kate didn’t shed a tear. Sure she was a little apprehensive at first. But not for long, quickly she was laughing and playing and loving us all. She had no favorites. She let Will kiss her on the cheek. She let me hug and hold her. She played with the girls and laughed loudly as they tickled and chased her. She smiled and was happy…just like we were her family. She loved the toys we brought and ate the Gerber graduates and drank the water from the Hello Kitty sippy cup. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day! And I am truly grateful! Yes, she is a two year old and she has energy and she did keep us busy until she feel asleep tonight. However, she let us wash her hair and brush her teeth and sat in her stroller while we went to a nearby coffee shop to get some water. We all just sat and smiled in a family circle and we were again at home. It was just wonderful and like a real dream come true!
When we first met, Rosie Kate, or her Chinese nick name Wei, Wei, she had on a pink dress with pink shoes. The front of the dress was filled with you guessed it, roses. The ladies had no idea what we had named her. The rose dress was just one more personal sign to me that we had the right girl and her reaction to our family sealed it. Amazingly, I held it together emotionally when I met Rosie and I owe it to what happen right before we met her. We had the great privilege of going with a wonderful woman who was also adopting and meeting her daughter at the same time we were. This lady’s daughter was a nine year old who was in a wheelchair and from an orphanage eight hours away. They had brought her little girl there and she was waiting when we walked in the door. Rosie Kate was running late so we got to see this mom meet her nine year old. Needless to say that emotional meeting, seeing that mom hugging that sweet girl in her wheelchair caused our whole family to tear up. The little girl loved that mom immediately and you could tell she was do happy to be adopted. Wow…to see God’s love played out in front of our eyes…Wow! That’s about all I can say about it. So due to the fact, we had cried at their meeting, all our tears were dried up so we could face Rosie Kate with great joy. And when she started running around as do most two year olds do, how could we possibly complain when our friend’s daughter was in a wheelchair. Yes, that’s the reason my girls needed to come. Some things like that kind of unconditional love can’t always be seen in school or even at home. we were all changed for the better!
When we arrived in Changsha City, Rosie’s province, we met up with our guide Amy. One of the first things she said to me was, I have seen your daughter in her orphanage at least twice. I said, really? tell me about her. She said, she was crying loudly because she had been given a snack and she wanted more and they told her she couldn’t have anymore. She’s very spicy! Changsha City is in the
Hunan Province of a China. The Hunan Province is known for spicy foods and sometimes they say the girls are spicy.
Honestly, when she told me that I thought, I hope I can take spicy. Well, after meeting Rosie today, she is not by any means bland. She’s truly wonderful and very active, and who doesn’t need a little spice in their life anyway.
Thanks for your prayers! They were truly answered!
We love you all!
Tricia, Will, Anna, Emma and Rosie “spicy” Kate
“Once our eyes are opened, we cannot pretend we don’t know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act.” Proverbs 24:12
“Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.” David Platt