I am Caucasian, born in New Zealand to parents of Scottish and English descent. My husband is Caucasian, born in New Zealand to parents of English descent. Our three oldest children have inherited our physiology, intelligence, mannerisms, foibles and personality traits in varying degrees.
Our fourth child does not have a trace of our genetic material.
Our youngest child was a gift. A gift of Love.
One of the most profound gifts that can ever be given.
The gift of a new born life.
The one hundred days celebration photoOur daughter was named Ae-Ran by her birth-mother. We chose to keep her name because none of the names on our short list seemed to match her personality and appearance and also because the name has a beautiful meaning.
Ae-Ran is Korean for Love Orchid.
In retrospect we are extremely glad that we kept her Christian birth name because it is one tangible link that our daughter has with her past.
Foster Mother Mrs Kim, 1990Our daughter was in the care of a foster mother for the first four months of her life until our paperwork was completed and we were able to travel to Seoul to collect her.
There are no words to describe the receiving of a gift of a baby.
Our first contact with our daughter took place in the office of the adoption agency in Seoul.
Her foster-mother had brought her into the building strapped onto her back in the traditional manner. As they entered the room Ae-Ran rolled her head and shoulders around her foster mother's back to take in the scene.
We were met with a pair of beautiful big brown eyes set in an angelic face
and knew that we had been blessed.
Her foster-mother had brought her into the building strapped onto her back in the traditional manner. As they entered the room Ae-Ran rolled her head and shoulders around her foster mother's back to take in the scene.
We were met with a pair of beautiful big brown eyes set in an angelic face
and knew that we had been blessed.
This daughter of ours has leapt her way through life giving the entire family
love and joy and treasure beyond imagining.
love and joy and treasure beyond imagining.
Her kindergarten class third birthday, dressed in her hanbok,
a present from her foster mother.
a present from her foster mother.
Look how quickly she grew...
at age nine...
then to become a gymnast of state calibre.
Competing on the floor and balance beam
learning to surf
With Foster Mother - Visiting Seoul in 2006
Kyongbok Palace Seoul
and now ready to leap out of the nest and into the future of her own making...
a beautiful Love Orchid...
*
A good morning to you Delwyn ..and how this day started of with such pleasure looking into your life again and I am so touched,setting the tone for today with a beautiful Orchid.
ReplyDeletethank you.
What a beautiful child; and such doting parents. Congratulations to all of you.
ReplyDeleteYou are a beautiful family! I kind of wish now that I had children too...well, it's never too late!?
ReplyDeleteAe-Ran means Love Orchid in Japanese too! The pronunciation might be different, I'm not sure... Such a lovely name for such a lovely person!
what a beautiful photo-story...i especially like the underwater shot - fabulous expressions!!!
ReplyDeleteMona, hello my friend,
ReplyDeletethank you for the lovely comments, I'm glad I can share the joy of Ae-Ran
Happy days
Rosaria, thank you for the warmth of your comments. We were besotted with her as a baby and still are...
ReplyDeleteTulsa, I'm not sure of your age...don't leave it too long...
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to know that Ae-Ran means the same in Japanese. When spoken by Korean people the R in ran is gutteral. The Ae is pronounced 'a' and we say ran (past tense of run).
Hi Victoria,
ReplyDeleteThe underwater shot is a great one, taken by my son who is holding Ae-Ran at the same time.
What a wonderful story. How beautiful is your daughter? ( and obviously very talented too.) :D
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely treasure.
ReplyDeleteShe's always leaping into life, is she?!
And you (and she) kept in touch with her foster mother in Korea?
Hello Natalie, I'm glad to see you have the strength to ejoy blogging,
ReplyDeleteShe is a treasure and a beauty, thankyou
Violet, How's your day,
ReplyDeleteYes violet I made an effort over the years to keep the foster mother updated with photos, more so in the early years, so that when we returned to Seoul for a visit in 2006 the reunion was quite emotional for her too and she said (via an interpreter) that she felt very connected to Ae-Ran over the years.
It was well worth my efforts to have maintained that thread.
I just like to mention the two parents who have given her this treasures live.
ReplyDeleteShe is a flower in bloom because of you
Such an evocative, eloquent, elegant post. I'm speechless except to say it's infused with love.
ReplyDeleteMona,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your remark. We are blessed and honoured to be her parents, and have showered her with love to enable her to bloom.
Dan, You are a dear, I always appreciate your comments not because of the praise but because of the sincerity and heartfelt feelings behind them.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to know you.
What a tribute to your daughter and the choice of parenting a child, both for you and your hubby and for the foster mother. Your daughter is a beauty and obviously talented (as well as greatly loved).
ReplyDeleteMeri, How are you today?
ReplyDeleteAdoption has been an amazing experience not just for Beloved and I but for the whole family. It has opened our eyes to other cultures, to new experiences e.g. the whole world of gymnastics was new to us, and has allowed a to feel a different kind of caring and love.
after reading your post, i wish i could say something meaningful and heartfelt. something that could describe the feelings that i have in my heart... but as soon as i typed in the words, they appeared strange, hollow and distant. how could someone like me know how you feel - living your life, raising kids and doing the things that you do?
ReplyDeleteso, what i'm about to say is purely from what i can see in front of me - and that is your post and the pictures.
from your post, i see such beautiful evidence of love - love that transcend barriers. and from the glow of Ae-Ran's eyes, i could see happiness and a promising future.
You have done good, Delwyn. and of this much, i know.
Moonshin, hello to you,
ReplyDeleteI am very touched by the sincerity and the honesty of your words. Thank you for telling me your feelings.
Happy days
Delwyn, after a week of working with fostered children, may I simply say that God led me to your post, on this Friday night to remind me of the goodness, joy and beauty to be found in the world between parents and children who are not necessarily born of the same blood.
ReplyDeleteThank you and many blessings to your daughter, who looks completely divine.
Sarah Lulu,
ReplyDeleteI am aware that fostering is a very challenging task and your work must be very difficult sometimes when all does not go to plan, but rewarding too.
I have found that with all the adoptive families I have met there is an abundance of love to be shared.
wow. that was beautiful. a most unexpected reading, so honest and full of love and admiration.. what a beautiful gift.
ReplyDeleteHello Kel, How are you this Friday night?
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting sweetly on my Love Orchid.
Happy Days
What a tender, beautiful and thoughtful post! And the pride spills over from it in bucketloads! Many thanks for sharing this moment with us.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
This post made tears well up in my eyes...the beauty of your daughter growing up through the years and the obvious love she has been fortunate to be receiving...weeping for the fleeting years watching my own two daughters grow...weeping for those years passing too quickly...weeping because overwhelmed by the fullness of mother-love...
ReplyDelete...so I don't sound too depressing I will let you know that I am now thoroughly enjoying watching grandchildren grow!
Love Orchid! What a beautiful and exotic name. She reminds me so much of my Korean cousin. My uncle adopted a daughter and son from Korea in the 70's.
ReplyDeleteLovely, lovely tribute to your daughter!
Hello Cin L,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your complimentary comments.
Happy days
Oliag, how are you this rainy am,
ReplyDeleteI know what you are feeling, and how lucky you are to have grandchildren to love and enjoy.
happy days
Good morning Willow,
ReplyDeletewell that's interesting, many children were adopted from Korea in the 70's, far more in the US than here, I joined some adoptive family groups in the US at the time and many of those went though the same agency as ours. It was called Eastern Child Welfare in those days.
Thanks for your comments today.
Hi Delwyn
ReplyDeleteThis post is a true love story ...
June in Oz
Hey Delwyn. Sorry for not replying sooner. I haven't been checking my blog for sometime now and just noticed your comments. Thanks for checking out my artwork and sure! I'd love it if you want to use some of my artworks in your blog and link them back to mine. Thats'll be awesome! Thanks again and happy blogging. :)
ReplyDeleteLove,
www.littlearty.blogspot.com
Hi June,
ReplyDeleteThanks for that comment...we are blessed...
Hi Wen, oh lovely, thank you so much...
ReplyDeleteOh, Delwyn, your daughter is beautiful and so precious. Both she and you were blessed to have found each other. I was born in Korea, and my sister adopted a little Korean baby girl last year. Thank you for sharing your story.
ReplyDeleteHi Bella,
ReplyDeleteThanks Bella, she is a treasure. Fancy being born in Korea. Was your father a diplomat? teacher? in the forces?
And your sister with a new Korean Baby, oh lovely.
Delwyn, I just read this post...so beautiful, touching and heartfelt. Your daughter is stunning. She reminds me some of Grace, who's given Chinese name means 'beautiful orchid.'
ReplyDeleteGail
Gail, hello there,
ReplyDeleteas one adoptive mum to another, we get our heart stings pulled by the stories of others don't we?
There is something similar in the face shape between Grace and Ae-Ran I agree. And fancy Grace's name meaning Beautiful Orchid. It is lovely to hear these add on stories.
Thankyou
Beautiful post. Your daughter is many more times beautiful than an orchid! Loved seeing her grow up; yes, we look forward to AA's journey ahead.
ReplyDeleteAlyzabeth's Mommy
www.alyzabethan.blogspot.com
Alyson,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you came to look at this post of my love for our special daughter.
You have made a wonderfully rewarding choice.
and I wish you all
happy Days
Delwyn:
ReplyDeleteI have goose bumps on my arms just looking at the years that have passed and seeing how your orchid has blossomed. She is truly a beautiful young woman blessed with an incredible story. My son was 4 months old when I was blessed with him and he is now ten. As I looked at the photos of your daughter my mind wandered to the next ten years of my son's life and what they may hold until he, too, is out of the nest to make his own way.
Beautiful...just beautiful!
Welcome Dita,
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful journey that you have ahead of you,
Thanks for visiting and adding your lovely comments.
I wish you many blessings for the future,
Happy Days
such a touching and beautiful story...
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for commenting on my blog and pointing to this post. I love hearing/reading stories of other families formed through adoption...though we have not yet completed our adoption. She is a beautiful daughter and sounds like a real treasure! I am glad your family was so blessed together. I wish you and her all the best as she explores her past and continues on the path of adulthood. Have a good day!
ReplyDelete