Every new beginning...

This is your favorite guest blogger Randall.  Candice usually posts here, but occasionally, you need to hear from me.  I had some thoughts about today, and I wanted to share them with you.

Today, as Candice and I started our day, we began reflecting on the importance of today.  Today (Sunday, May 05, 2013) is the last full day before Candice and I meet our little girl for the first time.  But, more importantly, today is the last day of Eliana’s life she’s come to know as “normal.”  Please forgive the use of the lyric from the song, but “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”  It’s true that a new beginning starts tomorrow for our family and our little girl.  However, with that beginning comes an end, which naturally deserves some mourning.  So today, as you read our post, I want you to reflect on this day, and if you so choose, mourn the losses with us.

Today, I mourn first for Eliana’s birth mother and father. While we will never meet her birth mother, we are forever appreciative that she found a path toward survival for her little girl.  We can construct one of many different scenarios in our head as to why Eliana grew up in an orphanage, but we will never know the absolute truth.  Regardless of the “why”, there is likely a mother and a father out there that will never get to see their daughter fulfill her journey into loving parents’ arms, and the fact that they won’t get to know the significance of this day hurts my heart.

I mourn for the orphanage she leaves.  There are caregivers there that enjoy her smile.  There are caregivers there that will have a darker day tomorrow without her presence.  There are friends who have become accustomed to greeting Eliana in the morning and playing games with her.  These people will hurt for their loss tomorrow, and my heart hurts with them.

Finally, I mourn for our little girl.  We have big plans for our family and our time together, but tomorrow, she is leaving the ONLY life she knows.  When she awoke this morning, she likely went about her daily routine without any indication that her world was about to drastically change.  We know that, in time, tomorrow will be a joyous day for our whole family.  However, tomorrow will likely not seem so joyous to her.  I hope that she is soaking up every last minute she has right now with the only family she’s ever enjoyed until now.

Today, I ask that you think on these and other things.  Today has been busy.  We transported ourselves via train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, checked into the hotel we’ll call home for the next two weeks, and had orientation with our guide.  Today is also, however, a day of mourning for us.  But when you lay your head down tonight, rest well and know that celebration is coming.