Happy Birthday, Lucy!

Today our Lucy is 12...or 13, depending on where you live. Traditionally in China, your age counts the year you are beginning, not the year you have finished, as in the west. So today our Lucy started on her 13th year and thus is shi-san, 13. Which also means that for the next 3 weeks I have 2 15-year olds and THREE 13 year olds in my house (and a 9 year old -- she and I are the only non-teenagers).

For orphaned children, birthdays are seldom even acknowledged much less celebrated. With 60+ children in Eagles Wings you can imagine that it is difficult to have a big party and many gifts on every birthday. One of the issues that I hope to work out as China Director is how we make every child feel special on their birthday without having it be focused on cake and ice cream and presents. In some ways this is a small issue, but in the context of raising children with a sense of value and of individuality, I think it isn't really that small. In fact, I think of all the things we do here, this may be one that our children will remember well into adulthood.

So today was all about Lucy. A cake, many homemade cards from her sisters and brother and a couple of small gifts...all in all it cost me about $12. I think these photos tell you what it meant to her.