July 10th, 2001, and why I will forever be grateful.

I sometimes wonder what it was like.  July 10th, 2001, in Cambodia, the day Nina was born.  It's happy, it's sad, it's a puzzle and a wonder.  Every year, on this day, I feel the true meaning of the word gratitude.  How grateful I am that Nina came to us.  We know very little about the first three months of her life, about that day.  She must have been a healthy baby.  Where did the moment take place? Was her mother alone?  Did she know then that she would not be able to care for Nina and give her everything she wanted for her?  What a brave, brave woman.  Every year on this day, I wish that somehow, in some mystical way, that brave woman know what has become of the little baby.  I want her to know that she has grown into a human being that would make her glow with pride!  How loving, caring, remarkable our Nina is, hers and ours.

Nina is 11 years old today.  We have been with her for 11 of her birthdays.  On that first one, the day she was born, she was held by a brave woman, someone who loved her so very much, and who sacrificed so much for her.  Thank you.  Thank you more than words can say.

The photograph we received of Nina when she was 3 months old