Chinese Adoption Poem: Nine Little Girls from China

Almost every day, I am amazed when I think about the fact that my two beautiful daughters who are adopted from China started their lives so far away. Of course, we went through a lot of paperwork and waiting and traveling to bring them home. I know all about the process of all that. Yet, it still seems so much of a miracle to have them standing there beside me. My daughters. My flesh and blood in my heart and mind and soul. Sometimes I've been asked "Did you ever wonder if you could love your adopted children as much as your birth children?" I was so stunned by this question the first time someone asked me this that I'm not sure what answer I stumbled out. Not love them?! My heart pounds in deep love, fierce love, tiger love for both of them. Maybe a bigger love than for my birth children. I feel that, and wonder why? Maybe because the journey to bring them home was harder and more uncertain. Maybe because the journey to get them seemed so watched over by God.

Steffi was one of nine beautiful girls adopted from the same orphanage in central China. Our adoption group was allowed to visit the small town our girls came from and to see their finding places as well as the outside of the orphanage. All of us were overwhelmed by the experience. It bound us together as a group and we have remained as close friends. We've gotten several group portraits of the girls since then, but my favorite is the one we did when they were three and were all wearing white dresses. I wrote this poem about this wonderful picture. Unfortunately, I can't post that picture because it is copyrighted, so I'm posting some I've taken instead.

Nine Little Girls from China

Nine little girls

All dressed in white

Soft and pretty

In the morning light

Holding hands with giggles and grace

Pausing to glance at your mother’s face

I watch you play with your China friends

Wondering, wandering, together again

Where would your world go?

Where would your heart be?

If I hadn’t sought you

Crying and longing

Who would have kept you?

Who would have waited?

If I hadn’t been there

Waiting and praying

Nine little girls

Growing so fast

What of their future

Comes from the past?

Beauty on beauty

You always will be

Laughing or singing

Or dancing for me

Here in the world is there sorrow enough

To fill and fill my China girl’s cup

But sorrow though wide, is never as deep

As the love our Father, high and steep

Nine little girls

All dressed in white

Loved beyond measure

Treasured pearls