This weekend, Alex and I were very pleased to hear that our nine-year-old son, Ted, had written his very first blog! Inspired by his blogging parents, Ted decided that he would like to join the blogging world. There was, however, one glitch in his plan. He had no place to upload his story. So, with immense pride, I promised to display Ted's first ever blog on my site. With luck, we will soon be able to get him his own space. In the meantime, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to: Ted Carrick!

That’s when I learned about Golden Relievers. One night I asked my family, “Why does everyone call our dog a Golden Reliever instead of just a dog?” Then there was a roar of laughter from my family. I never knew why they were laughing.

One day my brother told me what it meant… relieving meant “relieving from needing to go to the washroom”. Now that I know what it means, I shall only use the word “relieve” in washroom jokes.

Ted Carrick, May 3, 2008

On behalf of the Carrick Family, Donna, Alex, Tom, Ted & Tammy-Li, I'd like to wish you all Love, Peace, Joy & Prosperity now and throughout the New Year.
Stay Healthy, everyone!
Donna Carrick, December 30, 2008

September 1st marks the 6th anniversary of the day we first met our daughter Tammy-Li.

It was hot, which is normal for Nanning, Guang Xi Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China. I remember all of the Dad’s were wearing shorts, and all the Mom’s wore shorts or sun-dresses. Nanning is on a latitudinal par with Cancun, Mexico, so palm trees lined the streets and there were jungles just outside the city limits.

The journey from Toronto to Nanning was both exhilarating and exhausting, with stopovers in Vancouver and Shanghai. The Chinese domestic flight from Shanghai to Nanning convinced us we were “not in Kansas, er, I mean Canada, anymore”. The plane ride itself was not unlike our venture into the adoption experience – embarking on either required a phenomenal leap of faith.

This weekend we are hosting a “day at the beach” – a get together for the families with whom we had the pleasure of sharing a life-altering experience. We meet with our Adoption Group at least twice each year. It’s always a thrill to see how the families are growing. Three of the couples have adopted more than once, and I can honestly say, Alex and I would not hesitate to do the same if we were younger.

However, reality being what it is, we are more than satisfied with our family. (***This is me, knocking on wood as I make this statement!) Our two biological sons and our precious daughter have brought us so much more joy than we could have ever hoped!

The most surprising thing of all, though, is not how much we love our daughter. To know her is to love her, and it’s impossible for us to imagine our lives without her.

No, the biggest surprise for us was how close we have become to our fellow-adoptive-parents! Those men and women, those comrades on the journey that changed our lives so dramatically – it is very much as if we were all in the maternity ward together, cheering each other on through childbirth!

Not only did we share in the Adoption Ceremony, which was very moving, but we also spent two intense weeks together in close quarters! We ate together, toured together by bus, swam, shopped, laughed and cried together in a tiny forced community that could not help but bond us for life.

Amazingly, even though we hailed from very different walks of life, we found there were many commonalities we shared, and still do.

The greatest of these, of course, is our daughters – those precious flowers of China, who have so bravely made the journey together from one world to another.

It is our sincere hope they will be “forever mei-mei’s”, forever sisters of the soul.

And that, in a nutshell, is the main reason we come together!

Donna Carrick, August 5, 2009

In North America alone, so many children are currently waiting in foster care for a permanent family to come into their lives. In places like China, where our own dear daughter Tammy-Li Ming-Hui was born, countless infants and young children reside in the stasis of institutionalised care waiting to be held at last by Mom or Dad.

To all of those children, parents and siblings "in waiting", I would like to say this: Your wait will soon be over. May you experience, as we have, the miracle of adoption and the joy of family in your lives.

The First Excellence, my mystery/intrigue set in China, was loosely based on a short story idea that came to me the week after we brought our daughter home. The protagonist, Li Fa-ling, is a young Chinese-Canadian facing the dillemna of all young adults: what to do with the rest of her life.

In an effort to better understand herself, she travels to the heart of mainland China with a Canadian adoption group. There she encounters murder, kidnapping, political intrigue and organ theft. Her cloistered world is sliced open by her unexpected affection for the Nanning Detective Wang Yong-qi and his brilliant but uncouth partner Cheng Minsheng.

Having said all that, this is not just a book about murder and kidnapping and those dark deeds we crimewriters do so love to study. In my humble opinion as the author, it is a story of the human spirit -- its quest to discover worthiness in a changing world and its relentless desire to love and to be loved.

To all those waiting for completion of the adoption process, and to those families and children whose lives have already been altered by the miracle of adoption, my very best wishes to you on this special day.

May we all take a moment to celebrate.

Yours,
Donna Carrick
www.donnacarrick.com