In the beginning there was...hope

As in every story, there is a beginning. And, like many stories before us, our begins when boy met girl. There was love, then there was marriage, and then came along a baby carriage. Yes, you know the next line...but that's not all (however, thankfully our "baby is not drinking alcohol"). No, that's not all. There was more, so much more to this story.

January 2012
"Ally, do you want to adopt a little brother or sister, or should mommy have a baby?"

"What does adopt mean, mommy?" What an answer to have to explain to a four year old! There is no easy, poetic or symbolic "stork-like" story to tell. So, I did what any resourceful, internet-raised generational spawn would do...I went to youtube. While, I am sure I likely showed my daughter a side of the world most shield their young from as long as they can, I wanted to really show her what it meant to be an orphan. And there, on the screen, was Haiti.

We watched a few videos of missionary trips to orphanages, most of which showed the local townships surrounding the outside walls of the children's homes. And leave it to the child-like innocence to ask questions many adults don't know how to answer. The ones we, ourselves, want answered by some wise elder with stars in their eyes and 80 years of rich life experiences behind them. "But, why are there so many kids without mommies and daddies? We have lots of food, lets send them some then they won't be hungry! Can't they just go get shoes from the store? I wish I lived in an orphanage and I could have slumber parties all the time! Mommy, can we go help them?"

There. That last question. In that moment, I knew she felt what her mommy had felt her whole life and what her daddy had felt his whole life. Empathy and compassion, some of the most precious gifts we can give to our children. Mine started as a young child, running around "rescuing" wild animals. Then, evolving into rescuing stray dogs and cats. And then as an adult, the desire to rescue people in need flourished in me. And daddy, always having the desire to care for others, meshed right with my compassionate heart and here stands the personification of our love, expressing our deepest desires. It was quite a moment. Cue tears...