Mother's Day and Haiti

There is a whole crop of articles this weekend about adopted children from Haiti spending their first Mother's Day in their new homes. Like all adoption stories, these are a mix of loss and joy. Here are some of them.

A two-year-old in South Dakota.
A four-year-old and a six-year-old in Michigan.
A two-year-old in Ontario.
Twin six-month-olds and a two-year-old in Alabama.
A four-year-old and two-year-old in Colorado.

Kristen is blogging about her new arrival, who came home to California after the earthquake. She's brave enough to say how hard it has been for her family. Most of the preceding articles sound as though things are all rosy, and I hope they really are. Having read a few of the comments left on these articles, I don't at all blame the parents for keeping any struggles to themselves. People are cruel and eager to find fault. I think these families need a lot of prayer and support. (And today Kristen posted a link to this, about how to love an adopted child. Or really, any child. Worth reading!)

This one is also a Mother's Day story, but with a difference.
A daughter who brought her mom to Montreal after the earthquake.

Haitian Mother's Day won't happen for three more weeks (it's always the last Sunday in May), but there are thousands of mothers who will spend that day and today (as they spend all other days) mourning their lost children or caring for children in tent cities - and for many, doing both. One of the first things I said to my husband after the earthquake was, "I'm so glad I'm not pregnant and I don't have an infant." Motherhood is difficult after a natural disaster, and especially with tiny, extra vulnerable children.

God bless all these mothers.