Gathering in Almonte

Well, the Big Party is over now and we’ve all disappeared into our various summer activities. Wasn’t it amazing? Who would have expected such a HUGE turnout! We were thrilled to see that all 13 of the families from our group (January 1998) had made it. Problem was, there was only one table for about fifty of us! We all made the most of it though, and once we were settled and some food was consumed we felt much better. When all of the formal festivities were over, we realized that what we really needed was to TALK to each other, to reconnect and to see just how our families were doing. And so two   of   us   (who  live near each other in Almonte – west of Ottawa) decided on the spur of the moment to host our group the next day. Maps were quickly drawn up and passed around. Sandwiches and snacks were arranged.

On July 2nd, the weather held out for us as 9 of the 13 families converged on our home. What a pleasure to watch our little ones run around in a safe and roomy  place  while  we  reconnected!   Actually, “connected” would be a better word. In China, we shared an incredible experience, which formed a bond between us. But we were (naturally) focused on our new daughters, and so there were many things about each other that we never shared. In most ways, we are only acquaintances. It is only through getting together and actually getting to TALK that our bond will survive the test of time. And so these more personal gatherings are of paramount importance. The smaller gatherings will more easily allow our daughters to develop a sense of shared history. Some sense of distant connections. We took the requisite group photo of the girls – lined up on the sofa, just like they were in China. Look how they’ve grown! Look how we’ve grown! To those who didn’t make it: we missed you! Lots.

I really hope we do this again and again and again ….

Maureen

Maureen & Jim adopted Meiling in January, 1998