An Orphan's Heart
He was the first one that caught my eye – probably because of the way his eyes danced with joy. He was the first one to attract my attention – probably because of his charming smile. He was the first one to melt my heart – probably because of his innocence. He was the first one to hold on tightly as we danced around the room – probably because he's used to falling in love, only to have his precious little heart ripped out when the volunteers leave.
ZI Ping is one of the beautiful little boys I had the pleasure of sharing my life with when I was in China volunteering at the Eagle's Wings foster homes. He is a 4 year old bundle of energy who's eyes can light up the room. His Downs Syndrome does not keep him from putting "the moves" on the ladies and charming his way into your heart. His loyalty knows no bounds. Once he has deemed you worthy of his affection he'll do all he can to make sure no one else "moves in" on his prize. This little orphan's heart is simply yearning for someone to love.
When you walk into the room the definition of pure, unadulterated glee is written all over the ear to ear, toothy smile on his face. Immediately he'll maneuver his way over to you with his hands in air hoping for your embrace, unless of course he's sitting on the sofa. In which case he'll cross his feet and swing his legs back and forth excitedly as he pats the space next him, signaling for you to come and join him. If you choose a spot on the floor, he'll stick out his bottom and back right onto your lap with a book in his hands. And should another child distract you before he has made his way across the room he'll undoubtedly sit right on top of them, squeeze in between, or in some other way edge them out, because he has chosen you and he has no intention of sharing you.
Each time I played with Zi I fell more and more in love. Every little thing he did seemed to remind me of my own niece and nephew. His charm reminded me of the irresistible way that Micah smiles sideways and looks at me out of the corner of his eye as if to say, "Yeah, I know I'm cute." His dancing reminds me of the way Isabelle moves to the beat of Hannah Montana. His plopping on the floor and pouting over various disappointments reminds me of the way Micah sits down and pouts when he's tagged out in "baseball." His energy and spirit remind me of Bellie's detailed imagination.
Being reminded of how much I loved and missed Belle and Micah made me love Zi Ping even more. I couldn't help but think how much they would enjoy playing with him, how similar they were, and how well they would get along. He started to fill a place in my heart reserved only for family and it made me sad that he had none – no mommy and daddy, no one to hold him when he was sick, read him stories, or sing him to sleep at night. And I couldn't help but think how perfectly he would fit into a family like theirs. That's why I did it . . .
Because of the restrictions in China, I had no contact with friends or family the entire time I was there. But as soon as I got to the airport I fired up my computer and got on Facebook. Within seconds I received a message from my sister . . .
(Katie) “Oooh! You’re online! How are you?? I miss you soooo much!!!”
(Me) “I miss you too! Hey, I have a favor to ask you.” (I knew it was a long-shot, but my sister and her husband are the best parents I've ever met so I had to ask . . .)
(Katie) “OK, shoot”
(Me) “Will you guys please adopt the most beautiful little boy with Down Syndrome that I’ve ever met in my life?”
(Katie) “OK, sure. Do you have any information for me?”
– A couple of minutes later I received a message from her husband.
(Josh) "Hey stranger, how are you?"
(Me) "Good. I'm trying to convince Katie to adopt a little boy with Downs Syndrome that I worked with this month."
(Josh) "Oh good. We can talk about it at dinner tonight."
Yup, that's literally how it went down. The next day they contacted the agency, started filling out paperwork, and the rest is history . . . sort of . . . Josh and Katie are in the process of adopting Zi Ping and giving his precious little orphaned heart a place to rest, but overseas adoptions take quite a bit of time and money. If you are interested in hearing more about Zi Ping's story, or even donating money to help bring this precious little boy home to America, please subscribe to his blog, http://fromatozi.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/depression-as-a-blessing/
