Lifebooks and letters home

I tried all day yesterday to start our childrens' lifebook, but only got around to gathering some facts and pictures of Ethiopia, and writing the opening lines. I just feel like I'll know so much more about their story and experiences after I travel...

I did work on gifts for their Ethiopian family. I printed out a map, matted it on a piece of cardstock, and added a red line from Chicago to Addis. Then I attached photos of Jon and I above the line in Chicago and photos of the kids below the line in Ethiopia. Finally I added an airplane sticker to the middle of the line, to show their journey. I'll frame this and give it to their family when we travel south.

I also bought a picture frame with 7 openings (3 small ones on either side, and a larger 4x6 opening in the center). On one side, I placed photos of the Ethiopian flag, a map of Ethiopia, and a picture of the roots of a tree. On the other side, I added photos of the American flag, a map of Illinois, and a picture of the branches of a tree. I'm hoping that we can add a picture of us holding the children to the center of the frame, but if not, we'll just put the kids in the middle.

I plan to write their family a letter explaining that, the way we see it, they have given our children strong roots, and we hope to help them develop their branches so that they can become who they are (hence the root / branch pictures in the frame). I want them to know that we see them as an extension of our family now, and that our children will know their Ethiopian family. I want them to know that our children will be raised to respect the difficulty of the situation that led them to be relinquished for adoption. I want them to know that the children will be raised to take pride in their Ethiopian heritage.

I am afraid that, at some point, our children will try to turn their backs on their birth culture in an attempt to assimilate and not "stick out". I truly hope that I can teach them how fortunate they are to be both Ethiopian and American. Straddling the line between multiple identities is never easy, but if they can master this skill, they will be successful in many arenas of life.

As of now, we are planning to take the children back to Ethiopia every 5 years or so. We want to take them back to spend time in their birth country before they can decide that they don't want to go. We want them to see the beauty that Ethiopia has to offer before they are inundated with negative media images. And we want them to know their family.