Continuing the Journey

The Red Thread Connection...

Bill and Midge just arrived home from China on Christmas Day with their sweet Michelle. I had been following their blog and didn't know, until they were in China, that Michelle and Molly were foster sisters. That is AMAZING! What are the odds that we would connect randomly through the world of the Internet, only to later discover our little girls were being cared for in the same foster home? It's not just a "red thread" connection...it's (in Midge's own words) "a God thing"!

While visiting the orphanage and foster home, Bill and Midge tried to get new pictures of Molly for us, but she was on an outing with her foster aunt. However, last night I got an e-mail from Midge that provided information that is (almost) more valuable to me than pictures. Here are excerpts from that e-mail, reprinted with Midge's permission:

"...Today we developed the pics we sent in the care package. There are a few of Molly, and we got double prints, so I would love to mail them to you...there is a very sweet picture of Michelle, Molly, and the foster mom.

Thanks for your kind notes on our blog, and especially for encouraging us to take Michelle back with us to visit the orphanage. I probably would not have done that if not for your encouragement, and while it was by far the most stressful part of the trip, I think it was also one of the most important things we did as well. Her foster mom was very nice, and obviously cares a lot for the children. So rest, knowing that Molly is in good hands. The whole neighborhood seems to know their family, and it appears the grandma and aunt help in caring for the kids. The foster mom also has a 19 year old daughter, who is away at college, but she appeared in some of the pictures and seemed very sweet with the children.

Michelle's foster mom said she was a very different child before she came to live with them -- we were already aware of some of that from the initial referral. She wasn't smiling or talking and could barely walk, and believe me, that is not the child we received two weeks ago! Michelle is such a happy little girl, and I credit much of that to the good care she received from her foster family."

Midge and I realized that we live approximately eight hours apart here in the U.S. and have decided we will do our best to maintain that original sister connection with the girls once Molly is home with us. Sounds like road trip time to me!

Thanks so much to Bill and Midge, not only for sending the pictures of Molly to us, but also for taking the time out of their crazy, jet-lagged schedule to e-mail me the reassurance that our baby girl is being cared for in the foster home. Trust me, folks, every little bit of information is an amazing gift during this seemingly endless wait!