Happy Chinese New Year!

In a perfect world I would be dressing my Chinese treasure up in traditional clothing and heading out for a memorable family dinner at a tasty Chinese restaurant. Chinese New Year, American style, dumplings and all.

In my real world I am spending day three on the couch (except to crawl to the computer to write this quick post). Right now my real world is a shades drawn, nose blowing, cough drop consuming, blanket piling, germ war-- and it includes me and both littles, and one super-hero-daddy who is working through his pain because he is in the middle of a-great-big-important-inspection. Sorry for the run on sentence, it kind of goes with the runny nose . . . fever running theme around here.

In my real world is a little girl who use to be a Chinese orphan. I wonder what it is like to be an orphan living in China on a holiday, a great big long-lasting celebration, where everyone gathers together with family.

Family.

It's a big word.

A huge word.

Somewhere in China as families celebrate the New Year, my mind turns to one particular family. A family who was blessed with the birth of a January baby girl. A family who shortly before the Chinese New Year in 2005, for reasons unknown to us, had to give that precious baby up. What I know of life and love tells me that their celebration now includes loss and pain. How could it not?

Oh if I could only let them know that their January baby has thrived . . .

that their January baby is healed of her cleft and that she is loved beyond measure.

That their January baby is as perfectly beautiful as the day she was born.

That their January baby is silly and oh so smart . . .

and that noodles and snuggles

are two of her most favorite things!

That their January baby

loves herself a good celebration --

and finally, that their January baby

is a part of my real world . . .

and that every single day

celebration or no celebration

she makes this world a better place to be!

Blessings from my nest ~

Tina