Letters in the Wake of Rejoicing

Dear Newest Nephew,

You are officially part of our family.  Your birth father made a wonderful choice, albeit a difficult one.  He signed away his rights as your father in order to give you the chance to have a great life.  In the instant that he signed his name, you offically gained a father, a mother, a big brother, a dog, and a cat.  Not to mention the rest of us who love you dearly.  While you were in town for the trial, I got to watch you wrestle with your big brother, chill out in the spa with you Grandpa, and roll around SeaWorld in your stroller.  I got to rough house with you, hug you, and kiss your chubby cheeks.  And now, I get to do all those things again and again.  You belong in our family.  We have known that since day one.  It took until day 400+.  You were worth the wait.  You make your father proud, your mother melt, and your brother laugh like a little girl.  You make your uncle remind himself of the power of God and that all things happen according to His will and timetable.  Thank you for being you.  Thank you for your smile.  Thank you for your insatiable appetite.  It is, after all, the way I know for a fact that you are my nephew.  I love you, M-CAT.


Dear Oldest Nephew,

Your faith astonishes me.  If I could bottle it up, I would.  Through all this you prayed that God would allow your brother to stay with you forever, but also knew it was up to Him.  You understood what you could at the tender age of three-and-a-half.  And yet, you knew who was in control the entire time.  You have shown us all why we are called to a childlike faith.  You never questioned.  You just believed.  You have gained a little brother.  I've seen the way you are with him.  He loves you and follows you, sometimes too closely.  I see it in your eyes when you get somewhat annoyed with him.  But I never saw you break.  You just let him be himself.  You dealt with him clinging to your waist while you tried to walk.  He's going to want to be just like you.  And from what I can see, he has a great model to look up to.  A smile that lights up a room.  A laugh that is contagious.  A faith that is unwavering.  Congratulations on your little brother.  You get to teach him forever.  I love you, G-Man.


Dear Brother-in-Law and Sister,

I have no words to express my amazement at the two of you.  I am so proud to call you my family.  Your faith throughout these events has been as childlike as an adult's faith can be.  You never quit.  You believed that He would reveal His will in his time.  And it took a lot of time.  You handled it with grace, dignity, and strength.  I cannot imagine what it must have been like, and hope I never have to know.  But if I ever do go through an ordeal like your's, I can take comfort ion the fact that I have a great example to follow.  I have seen two wonderful people make it through an intense time and make it to the other side.  Thank you for your example of steadfast faith.  It has inspired me and hundreds more.  We are all so happy that your family is whole.  Thank you for letting us help you through this as best we could.  Thank you for how you did it.  Prayer, faith, more prayer, and more faith.  I love you, T-Money and P.L.W.G.