Grace Finds a Home

Today we walked across the bridge and over the canal to the mainland. Within a couple of blocks we stepped back in time a few hundred years as we entered the Quingping market. It looked like everything came in (and out) on bicycle rickshaws or hand pushed carts. The stalls were crowded and ancient looking and the labyrinthine alleyways between them were only 5-7 feet wide. Many of the merchants live right in the market in a room or two above their stall. Our sense of smell was alternately pleased and then assaulted by their wares. For us vegetarians we saw nuts, ginseng, sugar cane, sassafras, jasmine, tea, prickly fruit, oranges, lettuce, leeks and the list goes on. If you like food that moves, you could buy live bullfrogs, living eels, turtles, snakes, and shrimp that were still swimming. If you thought you needed it, you could buy a jumbo hefty bag full of dried seahorses. Some of the merchants would weigh their goods on modern digital scales, but many of them used ancient balancing scales like in Bible times. We seemed to be the only westerners wandering around the market. We got a few stares partly because of our Chinese daughter and partly because of the big camera around my neck. But several of the natives were happy to have their picture taken with us. All in all it was quite a day. Our guidebook says this is one of the largest and most famous markets in all of China. It also says this: "For some visitors, the atmosphere is too gory, while for others it is exhilaratingly Chinese." We would concur on both points.

I have complained in earlier posts about the voluminous paperwork and the time it takes for the bureaucracy to churn it out. But in reality, it is a great blessing to have this time. We are basically marooned here for 12 days. We are using the time to bond with Grace and soak in the culture of China. It is turning into a relaxing vacation that is helping us adjust as a family to our new circumstances. There is a peaceful sense settling over us that this mission trip to China has resulted in the completion of our family. Grace is truly a gift of joy. It is amazing how we have totally fallen in love with her in just a matter of days.

Adoption is not the conventional way to build a family, but it is a wonderful way. And it has some fringe benefits that go along with it. One of those is travel to faraway countries and different cultures. Another is that it carries with it the option of leapfrogging all the way over diapers, potty training, and sleepless nights walking the floor with a crying baby.

We'll talk again....

Rick, Kathy, Bradley, and Grace