Yeah, Angella!

Angella turns 3! Angella at her home with her mother (my sister) and their friends.

Almost one year ago, I went with my sister and Angella to their new home in North Carolina.  My sister adopted Angella last year and we've all been so grateful to watch Angella's life of joy and exuberance.

Although I by no means am adoption-blogger, our first hand experience in watching the joy in Angella's life and the joy for my sister in being a mom, is a testimony to the potential of adoption.

I've grown up with friends who were adopted and heard some of the struggles they face as they deal with questions of their origins, their birth-parents, their identity.  And I'm always struck with all the images of "adoption" in the Bible, that we are adopted as God's children, etc.  While the biological questions and the root questions of our blood are powerful and deep, so is the power of love that seeks a child, seeks to give home and place and family to a child who is lacking family.

While Mark and I have talked about adoption over the years, I feel very grateful that our family has the chance to step in as aunt, uncle, cousins to Angella--to support my sister in the ways we can in providing a stable and safe place for Angella to have family.  And from such a place of security and family, she may need to ask some hard questions about her family of origin, knowing that she has been chosen and loved and supported along the way.

My friends who've been adopted have taken those journeys and have expressed how all the more grateful for their adoptive families; for having been chosen and loved but also for the freedom to ask the hard questions of their origins and losses.

So, today, I want to express our best wishes for Sarah and Angella as they enjoy the 3 year old wonders--- I'm a fan of three year olds; they have gotten past two, not quite 4... generally a happy age!