“As the plane took off from the Xi’An airport, the sound of soft crying could be heard. They were not the tears of a college student heading toward a new year in the big city. Nor were they the tears of a scared young person starting a new life in Beijing. No, they were the tears of the red head from Michigan, bound for her native country.
I don’t cry because I am leaving the city of Xi’An. I don’t cry for its markets, it’s fountains, the ice cream everyday, or the exciting night life with people out dancing!
I cry because I leave behind me dozens of faces I am going to see in my thoughts and dreams, everyday for the next year….and many more to come.
I cry because, even with my ipod playing, I can still hear the sobs of a little boy just two months out of unneeded surgery, who is never given any pain killers.
And though it is just a photo I look at, I get lost in the deep sad eyes of the baby who stole the biggest portion of my heart. And I realize that even if my hearts desire comes true and we are able to make that little girl part of our family for good, it is a long way in the future!
I have to return to the States.
I can’t keep every child.
And, as hard as it is to swallow, I cant help every little life that needs rescuing.
I can’t even do much to help all the ones I have met!
But this knowledge does not make the truth any easier to deal with.
So. I cry. “
