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A Letter To My Adopted Daughter’s Mother
by
Gregory J. Rummo
WUZHOU CITY,
GUANGXI PROVINCE, PRC
Addressee Unknown
Dear Mrs. Wu,
I know that’s not your real name but it’s the
closest I can come to identifying you. The
orphanage
gives all the babies brought to them in a given
year the same family name and they chose Wu this
year.
I am writing this letter to let you know you don’t
have to worry about your little girl, Minjian. She
is in
good hands here in America with us. She has a
mommy, a daddy and two brothers to look after her.
It must have been a very difficult decision for you
to leave your little newborn baby by the Fujiang
post office in Wuzhou City. I don’t condemn you for
doing that—I can’t quite frankly—it would be
hypocrisy. Here in America, even though we like to believe we have respect for human rights, there are
similar problems with our own children, both born
and unborn.
The nannies at the orphanage told us a nice
policeman found your daughter on the second day.
She
was very healthy but she cried for you.
She lived in the orphanage, a pretty pink and white
building, for eight months and then was moved to a
foster home where she had a mother, a grandmother
and a brother to look after her. That was right
around
the time we got her picture in the mail and learned
that we would soon travel to China to bring her
home to
be with us.
My whole family flew to Nanning earlier this month
where we met with the local government officials in
the provincial capital to finalize Minjian’s
adoption. As our plane touched down on the runway
we saw
what a beautiful city Nanning is. Everything is
lush and green. There are palm trees and farms and
the sky
was clear and blue.
By the time we got on the bus, the sun was
beginning to set, bathing everything in a warm,
golden glow.
We were with a group of 17 families. All of us were
anxious to see our new daughters. We went to the
Adoption Affairs Bureau in downtown Nanning. They
have an entire floor of a hotel that they use when
hosting adoptions.
We all waited patiently in a large room until the
local registrar appeared and gave us a very nice
speech.
She welcomed us to China and remarked that this was
a very special night for all of us.
Suddenly, one by one, the nannies entered the room,
each carrying a baby wrapped up in a fleece
sleeper.
All of the babies from Wuzhou were dressed in pink
and white, just like the colors of the orphanage.
Suddenly we saw her. She was the cutest and the
littlest girl in the room. Her big brown eyes
sparkled as
she looked around trying to understand what was
going on.
“There she is!” my wife said, grabbing my arm and
squeezing it.
Finally our name was called. We walked up to the
nanny who smiled at us and placed your daughter
into
my wife’s arms.
I have to tell you I had mixed emotions. I felt sad
for you. I felt sad for the nanny who had to say
goodbye
to the little girl she had taken care of for the
last year. But I was happy at the same time for my
family and
little Minjian, who didn’t know what to do so she
started to cry.
We learned that all of the babies from Wuzhou had
been on an 8-hour bus ride to come to Nanning that
day
so we weren’t the only ones who traveled a long way
to get there.
She slept so soundly that first night in the crib
in our hotel room. The next day we went back to the
Adoption Affairs office where we all pledged to
love our daughters just like they were our own
children.
We also promised never to abandon them.
Before leaving Nanning, our guide took us to the
countryside where we spent some time on a farm. We
stood amazed as the workers—mostly women—sweated in
the hot, humid air, tilling the soil, watering in
the seeds and harvesting various vegetables. It
looked like very hard work. He told us that you
probably
live on a farm just like the one we saw that day
and that most of the babies that end up in an orphanage are
the children of “peasants” as he put it.
Your little girl is taking a nap right now with her
new mommy. We had a special tapestry made for her
room before we flew home. It is a beautiful piece
of artwork with Chinese characters hand lettered on
it
that say, “Wu Minjian, a little angel from the city
of Wuzhou.”
She is a little angel Mrs. Wu, sent to us by God.
And you have our promise that we will love her
always.
Sincerely,
The Rummos
Gregory J. Rummo is a syndicated columnist. Visit his website, www.GregRummo.com
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