Pearls From Hong Kong
When my husband and I went over to China to get our daughter, before we flew to Shanghai and then on to Hefei, we went to a jewelry store in Hong Kong. This was the last year Hong Kong was under British rule. 1996.
We watched as a woman artfully strung pearls for our soon-to-be daughter. We envisioned gifting them when she reached age sixteen.
Sixteen came, fraught with teaching her how to drive a stick shift. (Never once did I grab the wheel, although I prepared for a crash once, thinking we were going to hit a telephone pole.) Also drama at sixteen was so great, as to make us hesitant to give her such a lovely gift.
This year, however, at graduation from High School, she received these pearls with a knot tied in between each one. The knots representing the knots in our stomachs as we flew military flights into the interior of the country. Happy music and the nose of the plane pointed straight upward. Hot wet towels handed out. And the nose of the plane thrust downward upon landing. More happy music. Knots for each of the ten planes. And knots for the anxiety we had at becoming parents.
It was the best thing we have ever done. To adopt our daughter. And the best thing we will ever do.
What a beautiful gift, Hollis! Congratulations on your daughter’s graduation. She lucky to have you!
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Thank you Jill! We feel so lucky to have her!
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This is such a lovely post. Our children are definitely the best thing we ever do – our greatest achievement to get them through their early lives and come out the other side as thoughtful, caring, wonderful human beings. Sometimes the path is not smooth, plenty of unexpected challenges just fuel the parental anxiety – but every single one of those knots is worth it, isn’t Hollis?
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Yes, every single knot is worth it, Jenny!
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You have a daughter from China? I have a son and a daughter from Korea! 🙂
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No!!! Really Luanne?! We have more in common than I thought, don’t we?
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It’s amazing! 🙂
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I just love this. What a wonderful gift.
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It was really great Lorraine! We were so nervous that day in Hong Kong! I remember after we videoed the stringing of the pearls, taking copious pictures of the event for Lyla, then walking out of the store up the hill!!! To our hotel to catch the bus ti the plane. We “got” her the next day. Three months old!
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They are truly gorgeous pearls for a beautiful girl! Children and then grandchildren are like nothing else in this world.
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I haven’t experienced grandchildren, but I imagine so!!!
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I loved this precious pearls story, Hollis! It was more about how your daughter had become part of your life, how you and she drove with you not grabbing the wheel (that alone is a challenge!), and how proud you are that she is graduating, one knot for all the little ‘bumps’ or ‘worries’ along the way, not too many… Thank God for bringing you into her life and your daughter into your lives! Loved this!!
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Thank you so much, my Scorpio pal!!! I do feel such pride in our daughter. And now such sadness as she is going off to college! (We are here at the University and we actually say goodbye tomorrow!!!!) But she is now going to experience the world. And isn’t that what we did? Thanks so very much for your comment!
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Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this
article plus the rest of the website is also very good.
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