Excerpts of Christmas poetry

I woke up this morning thinking about some poetry that I've written throughout our long adoption story. They will both be published soon within the book, Painful Waiting, so I am only sharing excerpts of each poem. May they touch your heart today as you think about the children who didn't get to celebrate Christmas with their family.

Christmas as an Orphan 

(Written to Julian in 2011)

Now that Christmas has arrived again,

The gifts have all been given,

We enjoy a quiet peace,

Reflecting on our Gift from heaven.

I enjoy a morning cup of coffee,

My husband reads beside the fire,

My son still slumbers in his bed,

The dogs have once again retired.

There is a warm and cozy feeling,

The kind only a family can bring.

Makes me wonder what it’s like for you

Spending Christmas in an orphanage.

Is there a warm and cozy feeling,

In your home of twenty-seven boys?

Do you feel loved and cherished,

Is your home filled with all new toys?

I can only imagine the longing

Tucked deep inside your heart,

Wishing you’d spent Christmas with our family

Rather than over a thousand miles apart?

An Orphan No More

(Written to Juan David in 2013)

Everything changed for all of us

I still can hardly believe it’s true.

For the first time in years,

I didn’t spend Christmas missing you.

We sat side by side in church,

Sang carols by candlelight.

So grateful I was to watch you

Open our gifts to you that night.

I find myself always watching now,

like I’m on the outside looking in.

Observing every little thing you do,

studying your every reaction.

What has meant the most to you

Your very first Christmas here?

What goes through your mind

When you no longer see an orphan in the mirror?

How did it feel to see your name

Written on those gifts beneath the tree,

Knowing you’re no longer one of the many,

Now you’re just part of our family?