meeting ephetta and darrel

with darrel in tow, ephetta set out that morning to meet us. who knows what her expectations were. i don't even know what mine were. but an amazing thing took place in the simple surroundings of maison. her smile immediately confirmed my excited question..."yes, i am his mother" was what her eyes said. she is nothing shy of amazing. she is beautiful, and strong. she is brave and giving. she and i spoke words with our eyes and a kindred feeling flowed between our two rocking chairs on the porch of the orphanage. i have an intense respect and admirable love for her. what an amazing gift this little boy is to us. and this quiet and polite young man that darrel has grown to be confirms for me that she wants only what is best for her children. she wants them to be safe, and loved and educated. when she placed darrel's birth certificate in my hands my heart sank. we didn't know about darrel until that day. and we knew what she was asking. we want darrel to be safe, loved and educated and though we can't tell her now, we will do everything we can once we can to ensure that the etienne family is given a chance to succeed in life. petit, petit.