My husband took this photo on Sunday when he and Micah were walking around outside the restaurant waiting for the rest of us to finish. I don't know what Micah was thinking, I do know he was tired. He looks so sad, like the poster child for India Adoption or Compassion or some agency like that. It is definitely not the norm. Usually he is all smiles. For some reason, when I look at this photo, I can't help but think about where Micah came from and how different his life could have been if we had not said, "YES," to adoption. We had a very smooth experience, but India was a very difficult place for me to be. I was overwhelmed by the negatives to say the least. The poverty, the hot weather, the smog and sulfur smell in the air, the frustration with the money differences, feeling out of place and always on our guard, and that is just the beginning. At one point I had called our caseworker here in the states and was very discouraged. She reminded me that this was my son's birth country, and for his sake and mine, I needed to focus on and remember the positives.
Now that we are back home and I think back, there are some wonderful things I will remember...
- ANJU...our very precious orphanage director. You could just sense her love for the children and her desire for their well-being.
- HOTEL STAFF...the gracious staff at the Hyatt in Kolkata who did everything to make us comfortable and who loved on Micah the whole time we were there.
- SNUGGLES...Micah falling asleep on me right after leaving the orphanage. I got to just sit and love on him the whole way back to the hotel.
- COLORS...the beautiful colors of the the women's clothing and jewelry.
- THANKS...the random Indian couples who asked if Micah was ours and then thanked us for doing their country a great social service by adopting a baby from there.
- AIRPORT...our last look back over our shoulders at Micah's birth city before we got on the plane to leave.
I have a journal to record everything for Micah. He will grow up an Indian American, but I hope that the little glimpse of his homeland and the time we spent there with him will be something he will cherish forever.
7 comments:
Love that you are able to see more of the positives from your trip to India (other than Micah, of course!) He is absolutely precious, smiling or not! :) Happy Mother's Day, btw. Love you!
It is hard to reconcile the extremes you see during a short visit to India . . . it helps me to think of New York or Chicago, and remember the extremes of any large city (which is not my normal element).
I was most impressed by the welcoming spirit and kindness of virtually everyone we met in India. Another eye-opening thing to do is look at the dates of different historical and architectural feats (Taj Mahal, etc.) and compare it to what was happening in other parts of the world at the same time -- that will be fun to do with our kids someday.
Hugs,
Nancy
I am glad you are able to see some of the postives of Micah's birth country. It is definitely a very old country of extremes. I found it so interesting that everyone we met, regardless of the economic status, was genuinely happy. It truly is an amazing place that I hope to return to one day.
Julie R
I'm crying thinking of it. I've been ready for some time, waiting for our daughter. I know I will come back changed, and that the Lord need me to have this trip. I'm ready to have my world rocked- my eyes opened- and my heart enlarged.
You are so helping me get ready to go and to be properly prepared. I just can't imagine what it will be like but thank you for pointing out the positives to look for!
-Sara
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I agree that it is so difficult to reconcile the extremes, poverty, culture, etc. It took me months to process our mission trip to India. I am happy that you found the positive points and that you have a journal and photos to share with Micah.
April :-)
Just read your comment on Tom Davis' blog and was drawn to check out yours. We have BIG hearts for poverty, and were blown away by following the recent Compassion bloggers trip to India.
Post a Comment