A Tearful Goodbye to Anna
November 10th, 2007Dear Anna,
Thank you very much for staying with our family. We can only hope that the entire experience was as rewarding for you as it was for us!
Unlike other families that had weeks or even months to prepare, we had only heard of the request for help from the agency three days before your arrival. Hearing that, we jumped at the chance! When they presented us with a list of the children that were available, we specifically picked you because we felt you would be a great match to our family. And we were right!
Because the idea of hosting any child was unexpected, we were unfortunately a bit unprepared, as you no-doubt realized; it took us a while to get the right foods, learn a few important words, or even think to buy a Russian-English dictionary. Even Cortney surprisingly spent most of the three days cleaning her room so you would have a comfortable place to stay! We learned a lot from you and about you during your visit, and we will always be grateful for that.
Before we agreed to host any child, we had to sign a contract that indicated we were not considering adoption. We were always bothered by the way the agency presented that fact to you – letting you know in the car on the way to our house after you had just undergone that long and tiring flight from the Ukraine. It was so painful to hear that “the light had gone from your eyes” when you were given the news. We know that it was very difficult for you, and we hope you can understand, realizing that we opened our hearts and home to you as wide as possible given the circumstances.
You are such a wonderfully sweet girl, with a funny, warm personality that you sometimes tried yet failed to hide, it was easy for us all to fall in love with you. So it was with mixed emotion that we sent you to another family; ecstatic that you would hopefully have the opportunity to become part of a true family here in the United States, and a little selfishly sad that you were leaving us.
We all hope you receive what you desire, and what you so rightly deserve. We wish nothing but the best for you. No matter what Fate may bring to any of us, you will always be welcome in our hearts and home with open arms, wherever we or you may be. If you are adopted by a family here in the United States, we would love to stay in touch with you as part of your extended family. If, instead, you later find yourself as an adult still in the Ukraine and you wish to leave, please contact us and we will do whatever we can to help. Our home is always yours.
Again, thank you, for sharing your love and enriching our lives.
With love — Richard, Kim, Cortney, and Sterling