The Greatest Mother's Day Gift

Tonight for Mother's Day, I got to order a care package for our daughter in China.  This care package included several little special things such as our pictures, a panda stuffed animal, and a blanket.  But the one part of this experience that is leaving the greatest impact on my heart tonight is a letter that we got to write to her.  These are our first words to our daughter.  We are overwhelmed with love, gratitude, and humility in that God saw fit to give her to us and us to her.  I wanted to share the words we wrote to her on here to give a glimpse into the windows of our hearts for this precious child.  This has been the most wonderful Mother's Day I have ever experienced.  I have been so blessed to be the mother of two incredible little boys as well as an amazing daughter I have yet to meet.  They are all beautiful, all adored, and all cherished gifts from God.  I continue to be amazed at the blessing of being called to adopt, and that the journey to Selah's heart has been nothing short of the word grace.

Dear An Li Xi,

We are so excited to meet you!  This past year, we have prepared to bring you home, and we will get to hug you and talk to you very soon!  You have a Mommy, Daddy, big brother named Bryson, and a little brother named Lincoln just waiting to meet you!  We are giving you the name “Selah Grace AnLi Swain” which means “to ponder grace in light of truth”.  We love your name.  You are loved and cared for so much.  We got to see your pictures, and we can tell that you are loved and cared for well in your social welfare institute.  You are the most beautiful little girl we have ever seen!  We think about you all the time, and we wonder what your favorite toy, color, food, and games are!  We read that you like the outdoors, and we can’t wait to take you on hikes, to the park, and to go swimming one day!  We are making you a room with pink owls and pretty white furniture.  We have a doll for you, and many books and toys that we know you will love.

We have two boys whom we love very much, and we know that we have much more love to give another child!  YOU!  As we began to search for you, we knew there was a little girl out there who needed parents to love her, and we are honored that we get to be your parents. We have searched for you and chosen you as our daughter.  You were loved before we knew who you were.  We will always love you.  There is nothing that you can do to change our love for you.

When we hold you in our arms for the first time, we know that it may be a difficult time for you to adjust to leaving all that you know.  But we want you to know that we will comfort you and stay by your side as you feel sad and upset.  We know that you will miss your foster family and friends who live in China, and we always want to honor them and remember them as such special people in your life.  They have cared for you and loved you during the first years of your life, and they will always hold a special place in your heart as well as ours’.   

May you hold this blanket and hug this panda bear to remember that we will be with you soon.  Through all the seasons of life you face, we will be by your side as your forever family, Selah.  You are beloved, you are dear, you are ours’.  We are coming for you!!!  We are so excited to meet you, to give you a big hug, and to show you how much we love you everyday.  You are cherished, adored, and we delight in you!  You are our daughter. 

With much love,

Mommy and Daddy

To An Li Xi’s caregivers: We would like to know the names of the people who have cared for her, any of her close friends, and any other information that could be special for her to know in the future as she grows older.  Also, we would like if you could take pictures with her foster family/caregivers/close friends for her life book with this camera.  We would appreciate this so much, for this will assist us with helping Selah as she grows older and has many questions about her past.  Thank you for loving our little girl so much!