Don't All Dads Play Piano???? (A View from An Orphan)

Don't All Dads Play Piano?

Awesome news! But first, you need to understand the backstory: When we were in Ukraine visiting our son, he would always be in his "groupa" with all of his friends; all orphans in need of families. They all lived in the same wing of the orphanage, ate together, played together, and spent almost every moment of every day and night together. At that point in time, we were the only visiting parents in the adoption process for any of the boys in that group. There were no other adults or "outsiders" for them to interact with, beside the orphanage staff and the occasional handyman. Every day, while waiting for Alec to put on his coat and shoes, we would have the opportunity to play with his friends for just a few minutes. This was always a very bittersweet experience. On the one hand, we were blessed at watching these beautiful children's faces light up at the prospect of having a few joy-filled minutes of fun with us each day. On the other hand, it was very sad because once Alec was dressed and ready to go, we would be directed to take him outside to play, leaving his friends behind. Understand that the orphanage discourages any extended interaction with any child other than the one that you're there to adopt, and with good reason; you don't want to raise the hopes of those other kids, only to let them down when they realize that you're not there to adopt them. So each day we'd arrive to get Alec, and we'd watch all the kids get excited when we'd arrive, and then subsequently watch their disappointed, crestfallen expressions as we left the room with only Alec. 

Whenever this happened, the saddest face always belonged to the one boy that our son seemed closest to. He was just a bit younger than Alec; just about a month short of five years old. 

There was one day when the weather was particularly bad, with heavy rain. There was no way we could take Alec outside, so instead we took him into an adjacent room that happened to have an old, out of tune piano in it. I played the piano and Deanna sang, and Alec really seemed to enjoy it. 

After a while, one of the caregivers asked if we could play and sing for the other kids in his group as well. Of course, we were delighted; so she brought in the other boys, and we played and sang and danced with them for about half an hour, until the caregiver said that it was time for them to go. Sure enough, Alec's best friend looked back at us and broke into tears as he was pulled from the room. It absolutely broke our hearts. We found out that after we brought Alec home from Ukraine, that the same boy would ask his caregiver if a family would one day come for him. The day that we said goodbye to this boy was truly heartbreaking. The image of his crying face has haunted me ever since. Call me an "old softy" if you want, but this kid really touched my heart. We've prayed for him at the dinner table ever since we returned. 

Well we're so thrilled to report that his new parents have recently arrived to complete their adoption process and bring him home to the states! Soon Alec and his best buddy will soon be Skyping each other non-stop. Hopefully at some point they'll even be able to visit each other. 

Here's a part of the story that really touched my heart: When this little boy met his parents for the first time, they all went for a walk outside, hand-in-hand. After returning from their walk, the boy pulled his new Dad to that very same piano, and asked him to play for him, just as I had done. He must be thinking that all Dads play piano! So precious! All the caregivers at the orphanage were women, and these kids have never known their fathers; so it stands to reason that the whole concept of "Dad" is foreign to them. So it makes sense that he would expect that his Dad would behave just like Alec's Dad did. Don't all Dads play piano? It was a logical assumption.

We're delighted to know that this angel will now be loved and cherished, just as we love and adore Alec. And it makes me smile to know that I was able to love on him for the few weeks that I was there, and create a lasting memory for him. 

Of course, two boys from his group still remain, waiting for their forever families to come. And there are millions upon millions of orphans worldwide, very much in need of mothers and fathers. We continue to pray for each and every one of them.

-Mark Falchook