Adopted parents

Seven years or so ago, my father decided to abdicate the position of dad/grandpa deciding that there were other things more important in his life than the happenings of our little (at that time) family. We wish him well in his life and pray that he has found the happiness he was seeking.

Then 6 years ago this week, when little kid #3 was only 2 weeks old, we met some of the most important people in our lives, our sweet Oma and Opa. Thank goodness that we sat behind them in Mass with our 3 little ones and that they laughed when #3 slurped when he ate. I am thankful that they loved our children from the get-go. They were ready-made for our family. They were grandparents whose grandchildren were too far away to be seen and we had children whose grandparents were too far away or absent by choice.

They stayed with the Big 3 while we were at the hospital when #4 was born. They showed the kids the lightning that danced across the sky that night and told them it was “God’s fireworks” because of His joy in their new little sister. They were the first people other than my husband and myself to hold #4 and the first to notice that after 4 attempts I finally had one who looked like me.

They, along with my Mom, are my parents and I thank God daily for the gift of them.