From Living Brave. . . Finishing Strong...Tiegan, age 17

​From Living Brave. . . Finishing Strong
Tiegan, age 17 and currently in the first quarter of life, answers the question:

What do you appreciate and enjoy in the first quarter of your life? 

Although I am not closing in on the first quarter of my life yet at 17, I feel there are many things I can already appreciate and look back on in my life. Something many people don't know about me until they see my family is, I am adopted. I have been cared for and loved by my adoptive family for the last 16 years since they adopted me from China. Many people don't know or understand that at the time I was born China was in the middle of the worst social science experiment of the century. The one child policy was an enactment that stole the lives of millions of baby girls during that time. Women can’t inherit anything in China and so when a baby girl was born or a boy with a deformity they were often drowned, killed, or given to the government.

I am one of the few who was lucky enough to be adopted and brought to America for a better life. My parents like to tell me that when they walked around China with me old women would always come up to me and tell me how lucky I was to be able to go live and grow up in America where I would have opportunities that I wouldn't there, but they also stated they were sad for I would lose being Chinese.
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So far during my life I have been able to learn how to play the piano, play sports such as softball, go to school, be an equal in the eyes of society, and cultivate my faith with my creator. I recognize as I grow older these are simple things that so many others and I take for granted in America. As I go through my day, I catch myself taking things for granted I could easily be lacking completely. I appreciate being given the chance to have opportunities and excel in life and I am thankful to my adoptive and biological parents for giving me that chance. Some of the things I appreciate most are the things I often overlook. I appreciate having a roof over my head, clothes on my back, clean water, food, and most importantly a loving family. While I don't have many memories of my first year in China, I have been to many developing counties through mission trips that have helped open my eyes and have brought an appreciation for the simple things in life.  I have much to be thankful for!