【Ｔｈｅ Ｌｏｖｉｎｇ Ｈａｎｄ ｏｆ Ａｄｏｐｔｉｏｎ】The number of
时间：2019-02-02 04:29:26 来源：达达文档网 本文已影响 人 
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” ――Winston Churchill
Ding-dong. I ring the doorbell and can immediately hear the pitter-patter of little feet racing down the hall. The door flies open, and I am swept off my feet by a familiar crowd of smiling faces and a chorus of “Ni hao!”“Good morning!”“Hi, Victoria!” and “Laoshihao!”
Maggie is the smallest, but the one with the most energy, pushing me to the floor in a wrestling match. Grace is the girly-girl, who always has a new pink dress to show me. Every other Saturday morning, I see Maggie and Grace and several other children in a class we fondly call “Chinese Playgroup”, where I teach Mandarin Chinese to a group of American families with adopted Chinese kids.
While I often get praise and thanks for committing to this class, the real credit should go to all the extraordinary families who have shown me a whole new level of giving. Many families already have their own kids while others are single parent families, but they have all chosen to adopt. These families have given the children not only a home, but a much brighter life and future than what they would have had in China. The families even started a Chinese Playgroup to help the kids keep in touch with their Chinese backgrounds. This type of giving, of raising a child, goes beyond the ordinary donations or volunteer hours. This is a commitment of a lifetime.
However, one particular family and one particular conversation stood out to me. Debbie and Pete have two kids of their own, Emma and Lucas, but they also adopted Maggie from China. Maggie’s transition to life in America was rough, but she has settled nicely into the family and has learned to trust and love. Their son, Lucas, has hearing problems, which has resulted in many medical complications. I was talking to Debbie one Saturday, and I asked her why she and Pete decided to adopt when they already have two kids.
She replied, “We have always known that we want to adopt. It was just a question of when and where. In fact, we’re thinking of adopting again, hopefully a child with hearing problems because we have already been through the medical process with Lucas. We have experience.” Her answer astounded me and stayed in my mind for a long time. Medical troubles and possible handicaps are situations most families try to avoid. A sick child needs extras in everything whether it will be care, time, or money, but this family is welcoming and hoping for all of this to help a child.
After getting to know all the families in my class, I have witnessed generosity and kindness at its peak, and I have also seen the type of life that I want to lead. While I may not have the ability to adopt a child or give millions of dollars to the poor, it is the warm, selfless attitude that I strive to uphold in everyday life. I value my work with Chinese Playgroup much more because of these families. I admire them and thank them for all that they have taught me.
（责编：张楚武）
