In a world laden with many hardships, tragedies and charities intended to
help alleviate the pain, it’s almost impossible to sort through the causes and
find a compelling reason to reach out. And it’s only human nature to get caught
up in the daily busyness or have a hard time relating to a situation miles away
from one’s geographic residence. But one day in December 2004, singer Lynette
Giacinto (best known for her role in Clique Records act Final Quest with her
husband Chuck) was watching a television program that would literally change the
course of their lives.
“My eleven-year-old daughter Alexa and I were watching Oprah and Lisa Ling from
National Geographic was sharing the subject ‘China’s Lost Girls,’” she recalls
of that fateful day. “We heard story after story of little girls being abandoned
because of the policy that families are only allowed one child and we were both
crying really hard when we learned that. My husband came home in the middle of
this and was wondering what we were so shaken up about. I just remember sharing
with him the story and the show’s plea for adoptions of these girls being left
behind and it struck a really soft spot in our hearts.”
After both parents were unable to shake these images from their minds, they
started looking deeper into the subject, starting with adoption agencies and
moving into an informational meeting and several weeks of family discussion. As
one green light turned to the next, they each found themselves finding approval
from Alexa and nine-year-old son Matthew, their extended families and friends.
“China is in a unique situation having the world’s largest population- somewhere
around 1.3 billion people- and with a one child policy in place, and an age-old
preference for boys, many of the girls are abandoned,” relates Chuck, further
disclosing motivations for their decision. “We couldn’t just let them fall by
the wayside and wanted to reach out in the most loving way possible. So sure
enough we went through the long process of paper work and waiting time, which
we’ve found out first hand is a lot of rushing at the beginning and then a
really long wait in the end.”
In fact the paperwork required for the overseas experience is so lengthy that
Lynette and Chuck couldn’t sit still under any circumstances. Though they filled
some time picking a name for the newcomer (her name is Dani) and decorating her
room, the additional waiting was still the hardest part. But instead of growing
impatient, they turned to the artistic expression closest to their hearts and
began crafting music to correspond to the emotional roller coaster.
“Music is a natural extension for us and it started out as something we could do
in our waiting time as a gift for Dani,” Lynette explains. “We put all our
emotions and feelings into her since this process began and it all came out in
our craft with tremendous concentration on the words and instrumentation.”
Following various songwriting sessions and trips to the studio, the duo emerged
with a mixed bag of originals, traditional instrumentals and a special cover,
now bundled as the CD Lullabies: For China’s Daughters and their Adoptive
Families. Not only is the album an exceptional display of their talent and
emotional message, but its a premiere in this genre, stirring up a craze across
the country by other couples patiently awaiting the completion of the adoption
process.
“Even in the early stages, we’ve been getting overwhelmed responses from people
looking for a project like this for a long time but kept coming up empty,” Chuck
contends. “It’s crazy to think we have these feelings towards a little girl we
haven’t even met, but we’ve tried to put that into words and found it relating
to lots of other parents. We want to hit people’s hearts and we’re reaching that
mark because this is such an honest, personal experience for us as well.”
The nine-track collection features a wide variety of soothing, easygoing
selections, including the anthem of thankfulness “Home,” the love ballad “I
Promise,” the light hearted ukulele based “Polly and Me,” plus the gentle
blessing “The Greatest of These.” There’s also a cover of the Billy Preston
penned turned Joe Cocker classic “You Are So Beautiful,” featuring Chicago’s
acclaimed violin player Anne Harris, plus the narrative poem “A Way Home,”
written by John Elmore and accompanied by Christopher Peterson. A trio of
Chinese traditionals cements its authenticity, including “Bamboo Flute,” “Dani’s
Song” and “Purple Straight Grown Bamboo Shoot.”
“It was unlike anything we’ve ever recorded because these songs are literally
loved ones to our daughter and are filled with sentiments every parent can
enjoy,” Lynette summarizes. “Those waiting on their little one will be able to
see right into our hearts, those watching their baby sleeping in a crib can use
this as a soothing tool and even those a little older can use it to remember
when their children were young. It’s been a wonderful experience for those
involved and is the first of many exciting and enriching chapters to our new
family history.”
Indeed the project’s resonating with those from all walks of life tied together
through the incredible opportunity of adopting a wonderful child from China and
preparing for their arrival. And while many are still struggling to escape
abandonment, hopefully these expressions will raise additional awareness to the
cause and ignite the inspiration in other families as well.
“I remember back to that day when I saw my wife and daughter crying and I asked
‘if we had the money, wouldn’t it be great to go for this?,’” Chuck ponders.
“And as time went on and it became more of an actual consideration, I wondered
‘how are we going to be able to do this?’ But soon it shifted away from ‘how can
we do this?’ to ‘how can we NOT do this?’ And here we are with Dani on the way
to our lives and a soundtrack for every initial step of the way from our family
to yours.”
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