I am in awe

This week I met an interesting lady.

She is 17 now, tall and pretty. She smiles easily, though her teeth are covered in stainless steel right now. When those come off she will have a fabulous smile.

I visited with her for a few minutes. I do not even remember her name, though I could find out if I wished.

She told me that she was taken from her mother early on, that in her first 12 years she had lived in that many foster homes. If she did not like the home, she would do something so totally evil that they would move her.

Then she was adopted at 12!

Those are not easy for anyone.

I wrote about her family a year ago. Her new parents are dedicated christian people, he was a school principle at one point, she a music teacher. They had two children. After they were gone they decided to adopt 4 more. When those were grown, they did it yet again.


These people are about my age: he is 70 now and she is 65.

The girl was a real mess when she was adopted, she assured me. The new parents had just returned on a long round the country trip, when she came into their lives. They packed up the motor home and did the whole thing again, a “you are important to us” message. I am told the girls came back different people.

She bubbles about her activities (she trains seeing eye dogs when they are puppies), She fusses about not being taken seriously in her church, but when I asked her she beamed.

“But you seem so wonderfully together now, is that true.”

“Oh yes” and she smiled again.

I do not know many details, but I am so I awe of the parents. The girl is in touch with her biological mother, but calls her by her first name, her true parents she insists are her adoptive ones.

What continues to amaze me is how much change can come about in a person when they are surrounded with unflinching love.

I was and still am in awe.