Monday we visited Matveevka for the last time. We had some paperwork to complete. The kids said goodbye to the director, some staff, and a few remaining friends (many are gone for the summer). This was hard for them, but they mostly seemed eager to leave. In fact, they made it back to the car before I did!
We had to travel near the village the children were from so we visited Sofeevka (sp?). We wound up staying the whole afternoon visiting various places and homes they remembered. Viktor came a couple of days ago, but essentially they both have not been back in 8 years.
We also connected with some distant family. Most of the day is too personal to share online---and a story they alone have the right share fully. However, the climactic point was visiting their Grannie’s grave. I am so glad we found it. Situated in a small cemetery in the middle of a corn field, we found her and the grave of her mother too. It was sobering. It was hard. It was painful. It was good. It was healing.
We found their Grannie’s best friend and she was overjoyed to see the children. We were told that she talked about them every day for these last 8 years. She is pictured above. She told some stories about how Viktor would always eat straight sugar and how Viktor would always make sure that Tanya was taken care of and close by.
Truly some “chapters” in the children’s lives are now closed and they seem very eager to move on to the next ones. It was an emotional day and we were all exhausted, but their did to seem a new tone in the house. We got home and kids started cleaning and even studying english! To top things off, one of my children called me dad for the first time (the other one already does so all the time -- the other one has held off).
It was a tremendously tough day. It was a tremendously good day.
We had to travel near the village the children were from so we visited Sofeevka (sp?). We wound up staying the whole afternoon visiting various places and homes they remembered. Viktor came a couple of days ago, but essentially they both have not been back in 8 years.
We also connected with some distant family. Most of the day is too personal to share online---and a story they alone have the right share fully. However, the climactic point was visiting their Grannie’s grave. I am so glad we found it. Situated in a small cemetery in the middle of a corn field, we found her and the grave of her mother too. It was sobering. It was hard. It was painful. It was good. It was healing.
We found their Grannie’s best friend and she was overjoyed to see the children. We were told that she talked about them every day for these last 8 years. She is pictured above. She told some stories about how Viktor would always eat straight sugar and how Viktor would always make sure that Tanya was taken care of and close by.
Truly some “chapters” in the children’s lives are now closed and they seem very eager to move on to the next ones. It was an emotional day and we were all exhausted, but their did to seem a new tone in the house. We got home and kids started cleaning and even studying english! To top things off, one of my children called me dad for the first time (the other one already does so all the time -- the other one has held off).
It was a tremendously tough day. It was a tremendously good day.