A Tribute To The Other Mother

I often think of Peyton's Mother and wonder.. where is she by now, what does her life consist of, and most importantly does she think of her little boy every day?? Oh, how I would LOVE to talk to her, tell her of all the cute little things he did and said today, the milestones he's reaching, the endless amount of happiness he brings to our lives EVERY day!! If I could just tell her how much he is loved, and how her act of unselfishness has blessed our lives beyond words... to you, young lady we will forever be grateful! I choose to believe that somehow she knows... as only a mother can, that all is well with her son! So I sigh a prayer for her again today.
I have been reading this wonderful book, 'A Child To Call My Own' lately, and this story has left a little footprint on my heart...
                                                 A Tribute To The Other Mother

She trudged up the flight of concrete steps, her daughter's small hand tucked in hers.
She entered their two-room apartment, and set her woven market-basket down.
Shopping made her so tired these days, but she smiled as she set a pot of rice to cook
and began to chop vegetables.
A tiny flutter under her heart caused her to straighten, and a laugh escaped her rosy lips.
"Ah, new life," she whispered. "Little one, you are loved," she murmured.
Yes, life was good. But... what if... A flicker of fear showed in her dark eyes.
What if the authorities would discover this new life? This seemingly illegal child in a communist country?
Stories of fleeing parents, burned houses, and abandoned babies flitted through her disturbed thoughts.

The days passed.
Each day, she sang softly to her baby, and dreamed of the good times their children would have together.
And then one day the time had come. A baby's cry rent the stillness of the night... a son was born!
The parents and big sister were thrilled, but their happiness soon turned to fear and anguish.
Something was not right.
They soon realized that their precious baby would need help, more help than they were able to give.
Their baby needed a doctor! "But we don't have money!" the mother cried.
"And even if we had the money, we still couldn't take him to the hospital," the father said.
"The minute we would get there, they would check our records and discover that we have two children."
The grieving parents went through each day, with sadness in their eyes and tears on their faces.
Each day, they discussed their options, and held their baby even tighter
When they realized the decision that lay before them.
Finally after a few weeks had passed, they knew they could wait no longer.
One evening, after darkness had descended upon the city,
The mother bathed her little sweetheart one last time,
And carefully dressed him in a white sleeper.
The parents made their way softly down the apartment steps, out into the warm spring night.
They walked until they reached the city center, and they chose a bench tucked back in the shrubs...
And there they said their good-byes. "I can't do this, I can't!" she sobbed quietly.
Her heart felt like running. Running away from this harsh reality.
Away to a place where mothers can keep their precious babies
She watched as her husband stroked their baby's soft, black hair,
And whispered his last messages of love into the tiny ear.
As tears streamed down his face he handed the baby to her, and her heart wrenched.
She wept. She rocked and crooned and cuddled...
She told him of her love for him and that part of her heart would always go with him.
The baby awoke and whimpered as if somehow he comprehended this parting, this momentous moment.
But then, it was if angel wings brushed the air, and the baby's eyes closed.
The Father of the fatherless was watching over him, and everything would work out for his good.
The burdened parents arose and walked to the place-- the spot they had chosen to place their small son.
Their tears fell on the baby's soft, brown cheeks as they kissed him...for the last time.
They waited till a passer-by had gone on, and the father crushed the baby to his chest one more time
And then tenderly laid him on the doorstep.
Then together they turned...
They turned and with tears streaming down their faces they stepped behind a clump of trees and waited.
They jolted, for down the street past the steps walked a police officer.
He stopped and looked down. The bundle on the steps squirmed, and the officer bent to look closer.
His heart softened, and he whispered, "Another baby," as he gently picked it up.
The grieving parents waited till he was gone, and with their hearts breaking in a million pieces,
They walked away...into the night.... back to their small daughter, the big sister.
Back to where they would try to go on, where they would try to forget.
But her mommy-heart would always remember this night,
The night they said good-bye to their son-- forever.
Though unknown to her, at that very minute, God, the Father of the orphans,
Was already orchestrating the details of their tiny son's life.
And unknown to her, He was preparing the heart and life of another mommy...
Half a world away.

And I, your child's other mommy, would like to thank you!
I thank you for giving me the gift of your son. I thank you for giving him life,
And for tenderly caring for him as long as you could. I cannot fathom the grief, the wrenching,
Crippling pain that must have knifed through your very soul.
I cannot fathom the amount of tears you've cried or the size of hole that your baby has left in your heart.
I can only imagine that this pain and anguish has left you a different person,
And has colored your every moment.
I wonder... does a day ever go by when you don't think of your darling baby,
out in the big world..somewhere?
I don't know if you have the sweet Spirit of God to whisper assurances and ease your pain.
I don't know, but if not, I pray for you.
I pray that you will learn to know Jesus as your Lord.
I pray that God will give you a gentle confirmation in your heart that your son is being cared for.
I will try my very best to care for your son, and teach him about God.
I think of you often...
When I feel my son's chubby arms come around my neck for a hug;
When he calls "Mommy" in the morning when he wakes up;
When his soft lips touch my cheeks with his little-boy kisses...
Then I think of you, and my eyes fill with tears.
And I tell him about his other mommy in China who loved him very much.
Your loss has been my gain. It doesn't seem fair that you have lost so much for me to gain a son.
Why? I don't understand, but for now, I rest in the fact that this was God's divine plan,
And I will love your son as my very own.
Because he is.
I will probably never know you, but my heart is linked to yours in a special bond,
A bond that surpasses time and oceans, cultures and lands...
The bond of mothering the same child.
Maybe... maybe someday
God will put the pieces of our pasts and our futures together, and we will be able to meet.
Until then... I thank you from the depths of my heart for making one of the bravest,
Most unselfish decisions a mother can ever make.

                                                                                    ..Marilyn Wiens..


I found it very interesting that when I contacted the author for permission to copy her story, their family was on a mission trip in Hong-Kong and from there were going on to their sons orphanage and 'finding' place in China!!
Wish you the best Leroy, Marilyn and boys...our prayers go with you!