I am at SeaTac getting ready to board my flight home from Seattle. The Refresh Conference exceeded my hopes in every way. I was very nervous about speaking, but I had the sweetest speaking spot of the event.
Adoption
Honeybee got her very own email address yesterday, and this is what I found in my inbox this morning.
Sometimes you have to ask yourself, “If I could only tell one more story, what would it be?” Tell it Well is my answer.
Part 1: Alone | Part 2: Sought | Part 3: Found | Part 4: Redeemed | Part 5: Bitter
I will never forget the night I checked my email and saw the subject line, “Is this for real? I’m your son.” I was stunned and felt faint. We had just watched Swiss Family Robinson with our crew of five little ones, and we were getting them ready for bed when I paused at the computer. I must have gasped because the children started gathering around me. I kept saying, “Don’t touch the computer. Don’t touch the computer. Get Daddy – somebody get Daddy!” I was afraid that with one click of a button, the message would disappear and my son would be lost from me forever.
I stumbled upon a link to a music video of the song “Everything to Me” by Mark Schultz. After watching it, I clicked on the link to the story behind the song.
It is powerful to hear him talk about his birthmother and see the emotion on his face. His face and voice speak to me more loudly than his words.
“I distinctly remember growing in your tummy, “ Little Man tipped his head to one side, put his finger in the air and made his point with confidence.
Conversations about where he came from, how we found him, and traveling from Ethiopia to America, are becoming more frequent and I’m doing my best to navigate them. We talk about his Ethiopian mommy, how much she loved him, and why she took him to the orphanage in Soddo, Ethiopia. I tell him that Eby was there when he came and they were babies together. He likes to hear the story of the first time we saw him, and how tiny he was as I held him in my arms and gave him a bottle.
If you have ever been in doubt about the value of adopting older children, watch this:
What do you think? Did Meredith’s reaction surprise you? Did you get choked up like I did?
I want to add a few thoughts.
Changed Life
There she was, with her beautiful long hair, lying all alone in the uncomfortable, hospital bed. She was dying of HIV/AIDS and unable to speak to me, I felt so much sorrow as I watched her lose weight because she could not eat. In 2003, in Mekelle, Ethiopia, I was a six year old, second grader when this all happened. Himonnet is my mother’s name and she was the best mom. Not because I say so, but because others also said so. My mom used to laugh all the time and was good at comforting others. This was the most difficult year that I ever had, that no one also could imagine.
Yesterday Eby saw his Ethiopian sister, Mesky, for the first time since he was a baby. It wasn’t quite face to face, but it was as close as we could get since we live on different continents – they Skyped.
I was lying in bed very early this morning trying to sleep, but with little success. Yesterday my heart was extraordinarily full of love for my little boys. I fear that my blog may be devoted too heavily toward the challenges we have faced as adoptive parents, and I’ve neglected to share the utter gratitude I have for my children. I also don’t write as much about my little guys, so today is their day.
I’m home from my grand adventure to Denver. It was a great time in absolutely every way; I felt the prayers that were said for me on this trip. Every bit of travel went well, from driving to the airport (no snow!), flying without getting airsick, being picked up from the Denver airport at the perfect moment, and time to rest and look over my notes that afternoon.
One Thankful Mom
