China - Day Seven - part three - An, QuYan's Finding Place

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda - Xi'an China

While adoption is beauty from ashes, adoption is also result of a loss!  Our little girl was left behind at a beautiful public "park area" in Xi'an.  Her records state that she was found on the west side of the "Big Wild Goose Pagoda."  Today we visited this area.  Merle and I talked about the mix of feelings we had while there.  I thought mostly about Lucy's birth mother and what that particular day may have looked like three years ago.  The "park" is a walking park.  It's absolutely beautiful with large trees, different pathways and statues.  

 Our facilitator, said it was very possible that Lucy's birth mom chose this area because she knew there were many people there.  She may have even "hung back" making sure her baby was "found" and reported to police?  (this made me think about the Bible story of Moses!)  IF Lucy's birth parents are poor, they most likely did not have the resources to get their baby the health care that she will need.   We don't know and most likely never will, BUT I believe in my heart that she was loved and her parents wanted her to have the help they couldn't provide.   Obviously there are many more emotions and thoughts that I have ......

The name given to her at the social welfare institute  - "An" (her surname is from the Xi' "AN" orphanage) -- all the children at that particular orphanage  are given that surname (last name).  "Qu" (pronounced phonetically "chew") is because she was was found in the "Qujiang" district and "Yan"(pronounced phonetically yen)  means goose (left behind at the wild "goose" pagoda).