Mother's Love - Expressed Without Words

After nearly two years in the process, when Rachel was two years old, her adoption was finally completed. With a grateful heart, I brought my precious girl home to Ohio to meet the family.

You can find
"Child of My Heart" here.

While shopping one day with my mother, I saw a collection of Willow Tree statues. I took some time to browse through the collection. Suddenly, one of them caught my eye. It was called "Child of My Heart".

As you can see, the baby in the mother's arms is a bit darker in skin color than the mother, perfect for a mother who has adopted a child who doesn't look like her. More importantly, the way the mother so tenderly holds her child made me immediately identify this statue with the way I often held my daughter in my arms.

Mom gave me "Child of My Heart" for Christmas that year, and it was displayed in a special place of honor in our home for a number of years. Then, sadly, the bookcase where it was displayed got jostled a bit too hard. The figurine toppled off its shelf and broke into several pieces. I did my best to glue it back together, but it just isn't the same.

Thankfully, the sentiment behind the figurine hasn't been broken. It has changed over time. It has grown, even as Rachel has grown. 

You can find
"With My Grandmother" here.

A couple weeks ago, I browsed the Willow Tree website for an appropriate gift for my mother for mother's Day. I found a sweet figurine called "With My Grandmother". 

This one was especially appropriate as a gift from Rachel to her grandmother as they often cuddle together just like this on the couch as they watch game shows or a movie together.

My daughter and my mother share a very precious bond. I trust they will for many years to come.

In the process of looking for this gift for Mom, I ran across another figurine that spoke to me, even as "Child of My Heart" did over six years ago.

You can find
"Close To Me" here.

As I said before, Rachel has grown, and my love for her has grown stronger over time. Rachel is now a tall, beautiful, bright and energetic eight-year-old. Although she is far too tall for me to pick up and cuddle, I love it when she comes to me for a hug. 

We wrap our arms around each other. I rest my cheek on the top of her head, and I reflect on the marvelous blessing God gave to me when He brought this precious child into my life.  

As we left my parents' house this evening, I mentioned to Mom that this was the first Mother's Day in twenty years that we have been together.That makes today extra special.

There is one more figurine from the Willow Tree collection that caught my eye, but it wasn't available to order online. Maybe this one is for another year. It is called "Generations". I think the picture says it all.

You can find "Generations" here.

 Thank you, Father, for Your precious gifts.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, 

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, 

who does not change like shifting shadows. 

 James 1:17

* (I am not in any way compensated by Willow Tree for this post.)