“Be kind to strangers, they might be angels in disguise."
~ Hebrews 13:2
Three years ago, the silence of
the hospital’s ultrasound tech confirmed their worst fears before the doctor on
call could do so. Their unborn son was
no longer alive.
Jason and Mari Foster had been waiting since then to adopt,
with many heartaches and challenges along the way. They spotted a photo on a special-needs
adoption site and knew instantly that this was a match for them. A few weeks after filing their adoption
petition, the agency phoned. They’d been
chosen. They’d need to meet him at
Seoul’s Incheon Airport without delay.
Jason rushed to furnish his room. Mari bought clothes and supplies. Both worried the adoption might fall through
yet again.
Mari looked uncomfortable when a young man met them at the airport’s
gate. On the advice of other adoptive
parents, she’d purchased several small gifts for a birth Mother. Clumsily, she tried to hand them to the man
carrying their baby.
Hwan smiled, shook his head, and said, “Please take
care of baby.”
Her heart skipped a beat.
“Yes, I, we, will,” she stammered. It felt like a marriage vow, this tremendous
and solemn moment.
Hwan handed Jason a small Korean snow globe. “He like this; it make him smile.” Then he turned to hide mournful tears and
walked away.
Jason slipped it in his backpack and his new ‘family’ headed
for Security.
Little did they know, only snow globes that contain less
than 3.4 ounces of fluid (tennis ball size) can be packed in a carry-on bag. Despite frantic pleading, a TSA Supervisor
forced the couple to discard the globe, the baby’s only connection to his birth
father and the country that had given him life.
The three boarded the plane for
Chicago, distraught yet determined that this be remembered as the greatest day
of their married life.
Aaliya Aziz watched nearby as the distraught father parted
with his cherished globe. She retrieved
it from the trash and vowed to return it … somehow. Returning to the baggage counter, Aaliya asked
that her carry-on bag be checked to her final destination.
When Aaliya arrived home a few days later, she posted a
photo of the snow globe on Facebook. Shared
some 40,000 times, the message eventually caught the attention of executives at
Things Remembered, the company that sold the globe.
Employees at the company's Ohio headquarters and its Korean
store were able to identify Hwan as the buyer who connected her with the Fosters. Aaliya mailed the globe immediately with a
short note: “Take care of this lucky baby.
May this bring him joy and comfort.”
“Yes we will,” Mari said confidently, “Yes We Will!” She handed her new son his once-discarded
keepsake, grateful for the kindness from two unknown angels.
Tender Jesus, so meek, so mild, teach us to be
like You in all our ways. Teach us
kindness, gentleness, generosity, and to be giving, forgiving, loving and
caring. Teach us to follow in Your
humble footsteps. Amen
