Tell Me Life Will Always Be This Good

If I want to have a really good day, all I have to do is pass some time with this little girl.

She spent the first ten-and-a-half months of her life in a Chinese orphanage. She spent the next twenty-four-or-so months babbling in what sounded more Chinese than English. Language has never been easy for her, but that makes her all the more endearing to us. We consider it a blessing, being able to hold onto her babyhood for as long as we can.

Her words sometimes become jumbled. At dinner, she usually asks for more tomatoes when she really means potatoes. She took this to a new level today as she politely inquired, "May I please have one of your tomato chips?" How could I say no? I just smiled and handed over the bag.

When I had to run some errands this evening, she jumped into the van before I could refuse. I'm so grateful. Having a captive audience of one of the two people she loves best, she rambled on and on about anything and everything. I could not stop grinning, my heart was filled with such joy. For one precious hour, the struggles in my life no longer existed. Reality was she and I, living in that moment.

As we passed a Taco Bell, where I've eaten maybe three times in my whole life, a sweet voice from the back seat begged, "Can we please stop at that Tinkerbell?" Again, how could I resist? Munching on nachoes a few lights later (I promise that she does eat healthy food too!), she sighed, "Oooo, these are awful good" and then, "my mouth is spicin'!"

I'm sure I can't convey just how treasured these moments were for me. You'd have to see the loving eyes and winsome smile on her angelic face, you'd have to hear her soft, deep voice that sings as she speaks, you'd have to love her as only I do to understand fully. But I'm recording the memories here anyway. Because someday I want to read them and remember...when a beautiful six-and-a-half-year-old little girl with mixed-up words melted my heart and gave me a precious taste of Heaven.