Mia, this one's for you

Dear, sweet, Mia,
As I thinking about Christmas I was reminded of a very special Christmas so many years ago......

I was in the middle of a post and this is how it progressed.
.......
I am now finding it very difficult to come up with new ideas of things to make for Mia since she has had so many hand made gifts over the almost 12 years that she has been in our lives.

That's right, it will be twelve years on December 26th since Mia first came. And I am now reminded what it is that I wanted to do for her for Christmas.

Finish her book. I wrote her a book a few years back and never got around to getting the binding done as I had lost the full use of both hands after a fall. Well, I have now had the corrective surgeries and now need to finish it for her to have in final form.


Every year I used to tell her what it was like for me to have her arrive on our doorstep on the day after Christmas. And it evolved into a book.

This is her story:


(Prologue)

This book is written for Mouy Lim, My sweet Mia, My Christmas Angel! You started this book One day you said, "Mommy, tell me about the "Christmas Angel"." And you kept asking & asking & asking.......

(dedication) To:
The most precious angel on earth. You have brought such love, joy & laughter Into my life. You have touched countless people with your smile, Your warmth, and your boundless love, For all of life & everything in this universe. No matter where you are or what you do, You are so well loved and are so loving that Everyone who comes in contact with you Will also be given the gift of knowing "My Christmas Angel." You have the spirit of an ageless sage, blessed with a compassionate heart.

You are so well loved & Love so well in return.
You have become my daughter Nothing can ever change our bond.
How much do I love you?
Bigger than the whole, wide, world, Now & Forever.
12-26-00
(many of the pages go with accompanying photos)

My Christmas Angel



Just before Christmas in 1996, the phone rang.

It was DSS.
They wanted to know if we would take a little girl, two years old.
They told us she would come to live with us the day after Christmas.
Her name was Mouy Lim.

We said YES

The other girls in our house were so excited!!

Grandpa Bear was so excited.

We were SO EXCITED WE COULD NOT WAIT!!!

We wrote a letter to Santa Claus
to let him know we were getting a
new little girl the day after Christmas.

Dear Santa Claus
We are so excited!
Mouy Lim is a two year old girl
who is coming to live with us the
day after Christmas. Can you bring
some toys for her? We don't know
what she wants, but I'm sure she
would like a doll & a teddy bear.
Thank you , Santa.
Love, Marna

On Christmas morning we found presents
under our tree that Santa Claus had left,
for Mouy Lim.

On the day after Christmas

the doorbell rang.

I opened the door,

and there, in Marlene's, (the caseworker) arms,
was little Mouy Lim, with her black fly-away hair,
in a big high pony tail, with her bigger brother's
sneakers on her tiny feet, and his too big jacket
on to keep her warm on such a cold winter's day.

With Mouy Lim were her two big sisters,
Sarith and Juliet, who came along to meet
us and to see where their baby sister would
be living. Sarith and Juliet were happy to
see Mouy Lim's nice new home and to
meet her nice new family.

We sat at the dining room table,
so that Juliet could tell me what
I needed to know about Mouy Lim.

Sammy and Crystal took Mouy Lim
and her sisters in to see the Christmas
tree, with the presents Santa had left for her.

I picked up Mouy Lim,
and held her in my arms.
Such a tiny little sweetheart!

we brought everyone upstairs,

to see Mouy Lim's new bedroom.

we showed them the living room playroom.

We went down cellar,
to show her the cellar playroom.

Before going back upstairs,
I had to turn off the lights.
One of the lights has a light chain,
and in order to turn it off
you have to pull the chain.

When I pulled the chain
to turn off the light,
Mouy Lim looked up at
the light with big questioning eyes.
It was as if she said, "Hey, what happened?"!!

So I pulled the light chain
to turn the light back on
and I said, "On."

Mouy Lim's whole face started to light up!

Then I took her hand
and put it on the light chain
and I told her she could do it.
She pulled it
and I said, "Off" as the light went off!
She got very excited
and pulled the chain again and again,
and as the light went on and off,
I said, "on" and "off"
and her face got all lit up
and her eyes got big and bright,
and she looked at me,
and I gave her a hug and a kiss
and I looked at her .......

And that is when
I fell in love with ...............

My Christmas Angel!


Post script: In February, 2002 we obtained permanent custody, after a long court battle.
On May 4, 2006 we adopted our sweet Mia.