April 15th. Tax day, right?
I suppose. But today is significant to me for another reason. By now, nearly all of you have heard of a story regarding a Russian born boy whose adoptive mother had the audacity to send him back to Russia with a note pinned to him.
As a human, this bothers me deeply. No child deserves this kind of rejection. EVER. But as an adoptive parent, this especially angers me. How dare this woman treat her child in this way?
But my task today is less about criticizing this woman and more about celebrating my own story of adoption. I have four kids by way of adoption. All four were born in Ethiopia. All four are a deep treasure to my wife and I. We had no idea how much was missing from our lives until they became a part of it.
We adopted Bereket and Eshetu in 2006. They were 4 and 1 at the time. We had our share of adjustments and challenges. But we had more than our share of laughter and joy.
We added Teshome and Amsale to our family in 2008. They were 2 and 1 at the time (and Bereket and Eshetu were 7 and 4). Going from 2 to 4 was a challenge. But we can't imagine life without our 4 energetic, curious, loving children.
I can't say enough about adoption in general, our agency (Children's Home Society and Family Services), and the Ethiopian government. We were matched well, informed well, educated well, and prepared well for all the challenges we would face as we formed our family by way of international, trans-racial adoption. If I could turn back the clock, I can't imagine forming my family any other way.
Adoption has never been some sort of consolation prize for me. I truly believe God has called Audrey and I to be parents in this way. And we have all kinds of friends who feel the same way about their families. Through struggles and joys, 4 four sweeties are MY OWN. And nothing will ever change that.
If you want to get involved in something positive for Artyem and the future of international adoption, see this link:
http://www.jcics.org/Russia.htm
And that's the news from Browerville.
I suppose. But today is significant to me for another reason. By now, nearly all of you have heard of a story regarding a Russian born boy whose adoptive mother had the audacity to send him back to Russia with a note pinned to him.
As a human, this bothers me deeply. No child deserves this kind of rejection. EVER. But as an adoptive parent, this especially angers me. How dare this woman treat her child in this way?
But my task today is less about criticizing this woman and more about celebrating my own story of adoption. I have four kids by way of adoption. All four were born in Ethiopia. All four are a deep treasure to my wife and I. We had no idea how much was missing from our lives until they became a part of it.
We adopted Bereket and Eshetu in 2006. They were 4 and 1 at the time. We had our share of adjustments and challenges. But we had more than our share of laughter and joy.
We added Teshome and Amsale to our family in 2008. They were 2 and 1 at the time (and Bereket and Eshetu were 7 and 4). Going from 2 to 4 was a challenge. But we can't imagine life without our 4 energetic, curious, loving children.
I can't say enough about adoption in general, our agency (Children's Home Society and Family Services), and the Ethiopian government. We were matched well, informed well, educated well, and prepared well for all the challenges we would face as we formed our family by way of international, trans-racial adoption. If I could turn back the clock, I can't imagine forming my family any other way.
Adoption has never been some sort of consolation prize for me. I truly believe God has called Audrey and I to be parents in this way. And we have all kinds of friends who feel the same way about their families. Through struggles and joys, 4 four sweeties are MY OWN. And nothing will ever change that.
If you want to get involved in something positive for Artyem and the future of international adoption, see this link:
http://www.jcics.org/Russia.htm
And that's the news from Browerville.
Comments