Happy Mother’s Day

Dear Mamas,

I don't know your names. I don't know anything about you, really except that you both live in China, and both, for whatever reasons, left a daughter to be found. How I wish I could meet you and ease the worries you must have over the fate of these daughters. I would want you to know that they are safe and warm and well-fed (very well-fed!). I would tell you how loved they are – by me, by each other, and by everyone who has the privilege of knowing them. Then I would tell you what amazing little girls they are. Your February baby, Mama, is so smart and funny and has such a loving heart. And your August baby, Mama, is strong and clever and loves to laugh. And, because I know you would want to know, I'd tell you how happy they are. Both girls find great joy in life. Every day is a new adventure – always something new to learn and to experience, and they each, in her own way, leap into those adventures.

I also want to thank you. You have given me two of the greatest gifts any woman could ever hope to receive. Thank you for having the courage and the strength to make the decision you had to make. I can't image how hard that must have been for you. You, Mama, to say goodbye your daughter on a chilly February morning when you had barely had the chance to say hello. Or you, Mama, who held on to your baby long past August and all the way into the fall – loving and nurturing her until she was strong enough to survive without you. I will never forget that everything I have, I owe to the two of you – all the joy and happiness in my life I have at your expense. Thank you seems so inadequate. I hope that I will be able to teach our daughters to love and respect the two of you as I do. You will always be an important part of our family. Happy Mother's Day, Mamas.