The Gate

Hope is currently in the province of Hubei (often referred to as "China's oven", due to the heat and humidity).  So I thought I'd search the web for other adoption blogs from families whose children are also in, or were in, Hubei.  I found a link to another family's site, who had documented their journey to China, just as we will.  As I read through each entry in the the blog, to my surprise, not only was their daughter was found in Xiangfan City - the same city where Hope was found - but also at the exact same gate at the city's Civil Affairs Department!  (According to the blog, the gate is a common spot for children to be left in that city).  What really put a lump in my throat, though, was the accompanying picture of the gate, as well as a picture of a row of cribs taken in the same orphanage where Hope had lived.

After staring at the pictures for a while, I began to think about the day that she was left at that gate.  Was it dark?  Did the parents stay nearby and watch her to make sure that someone found her?  How long was she there?  How hard must it have been for them to leave her there?  She was only one month old.


Here's a picture of the gate: