The Interrupted Life: One year

One year ago.

One year ago today, I stepped out of my sixth floor apartment in Taiyuan, not knowing what to expect from this day.

One year ago today, I stepped into my first class ...

One year ago today, I met my babies.

And my life changed forever.

Today, right this moment, my babies are beginning second grade.

They are beginning second grade.

And I'm not there.

They have a new foreign teacher.

And my heart is breaking.

I would give anything to be there with them right now. Watching them walk to class in their lines, holding hands, smiling.

There are so many things going through my mind right now. Like, "I wonder if they remember me." "I wonder if their new foreign teacher is nice." "I wonder if they'll dance to the same songs we danced to last year." "I wonder if they've gotten taller this summer." "I wonder if they are wearing those adorable uniforms." "I wonder if they are asking where I am." "I wonder if Dustin is still the class monitor for Class 3." "I wonder if class 4 is still as bad as they were last year or if Yi Lao Shi is cracking down on them." "What if they are crying for their parents? Who can comfort them?" "I wonder if Bruce and Jude are still having their power struggle in Class 4."

I'm supposed to be studying right now. But instead I'm looking through pictures of my babies. My beautiful, precious, annoying, frustrating, talkative, loving, hilarious, hyper, crazy babies. And I'm weeping.

I'm weeping because I miss them. I miss hearing them call out my name "Meesa Lindsay! Meesa Lindsay!" I miss their hugs, their kisses, their love.

One year ago, today, these babies changed my life. Changed it forever.

One year ago today, I met a little boy, a little boy named Li Tian Ho. And I didn't know it then, but he would soon become the one person in China I loved the most. Somehow he grabbed hold of my heart and he never let go.