Giving Voice Blogfest: Our Story

I will tell it briefly.

Our story begins when it was only me
in high school
visiting a Chinese orphanage
and finding a baby
a cleft lip and palate precious baby
left to die
in a dark room

And how my heart moaned
over that injustice

But how that injustice was
a seed
planted in my chest
blossoming into want
blossoming into need
blossoming into action
six years later

When I saw my baby girl
for the first time
in the second bed
on the right
in the baby room
at the Tianjin orphanage

How she longed for a voice
that tiny, struggling
always struggling
beautiful girl

How I cried
when the much-anticipated
surgery took place
to repair her mouth

My baby lost her
wide smile

But through that gift
found her voice

And now she's earned her place
as the number one talker
in our family

My beautiful
brilliant
girl
who struggled for life


and found it


Thanks to Madeleine Maddocks who is hosting the Giving Voice Blogfest today! Stop by her blog to click through to other entries.