Eleanor's Certificate of Citizenship came from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today. She became a U.S. citizen automatically upon returning home with us after the adoption, and now her paperwork has been processed, and we have the proof.

Last night David and I went to see the musical "Ragtime" at the Boulder Dinner Theatre. The production and cast were excellent, but the story made me cry, it was so touching. The show was probably one of the very best I've ever seen. It takes place in turn-of-the-century New Rochelle, and explores race relations, adoption, and immigration issues. Three families are intertwined - a WASP family, an African-American family, and a Jewish immigrant family from Latvia. Any more info would be a spoiler - so go see the show! Probably best without the kids, though - it has some rough language in spots (racial group conflicts central to the storyline) and deals with difficult situations. It spoke to why our country is a great place, and why it could be so much greater. On one hand, it's obvious that much has changed in the last hundred years; but some things still need changing.

I've been getting a crash course on these issues since coming home with Eleanor. Most people look at us very kindly, but I've seen the ones that haven't been so kind. I tend to look back with a raised eyebrow, sort of a mama-bearish, "And your point is...?" kind of look. And those people will generally either look away, or ask a question. Usually people who ask about adoption are also very kind, but some people seem to think it's their business to tell me about how the Chinese are awful to abandon their children (as if most of them even had a choice given the situation in China), or ask how much the adoption cost (or worse, how much "she cost"), or ask about why we didn't adopt in the United States. And they do so directly in front of Eleanor, who is learning English so quickly that I can't be sure that she doesn't understand what they're asking (and I'm sure, at the very least, that she knows they're talking about her in some way). I'm starting to come up with a range of answers to give, depending on how rudely the questions are asked. And there's always the classic, "Why do you ask?" Some people are clueless and just need gentle redirection, others really need a verbal wake-up call. I do answer genuine inquiries with care (or sometimes simply by replying that we prefer to keep some matters private), but I also have these on hand: "She has always been a wanted child." "We paid about the same that we paid for medical bills when our other daughters were born, except for airfare, of course." and "Because my daughter was in China." (If folks are interested, I might go into how the vast majority of adoption costs go to U.S. entities, how care and education of orphans differs from country to country, and how laws do not favor adoptive parents' rights in the U.S.) Of course, if somebody asks how much SHE cost, rather than the adoption, the answer is simple: she's priceless. That the majority of responses have been positive has given me faith in people being good at heart.

We did receive a form letter from George W. Bush with Eleanor's new certificate (and yes, it was actually a lot better than "Welkum to 'Merkuh") :-) He may not be my favorite president ever, but at least he has a good secretary writing his letters for him:

"Dear Fellow American:

I am pleased to congratulate you on becoming a United States citizen. You are now a part of a great and blessed Nation. I know your family and friends are proud of you on this special day.

Americans are united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals. The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding promise that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, and that no insignificant person was ever born. Our country has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by principles that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests, and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every citizen must uphold these principles. And every new citizen, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American.

As you begin to participate fully in our democracy, remember that what you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to serve your new Nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens building communities of service and a Nation of character. Americans are generous and strong and decent not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it.

Welcome to the joy, responsibility, and freedom of American citizenship. God bless you, and God bless America.

Sincerely, George W. Bush"

Now, this may be a little heavy on the hooray-for-us propaganda, but I do know that we are very lucky to live in the country we live in. I've been feeling the blessings of a rich life (while remembering my graduate student budget). I was working in the garden soil, within view of our lovely mountains, while my children played beside me this afternoon. The mail carrier cheerfully brought us our country's blessing for our newest family member, and my children ran to greet him (he's a sweet man). I chatted with our neighbor over the fence about our kids, and about school services that are provided to every child in this country. My job this summer is funded by an NIH grant, and I feel the hope in that money - that we might learn something great that might benefit our children.

I hope our country makes good choices about protecting what is most important at home - our clean air, our fresh water, our children's futures. I hope that we don't wait for God to bless America - we have so much power to do that ourselves.

I heard a quote recently that I really liked: "The best way to predict the future is to create it." Indeed.