I think about this a lot these days.
I've come to the conclusion that adoption is a compassionate, redemptive response to a terrible loss - a child's loss of his first family. And I believe that even if a child is adopted into a wonderful "forever family" with parents who love him as their very own child, he has every right to grieve the loss of his first family. There's a real loss there that I can't pretend doesn't exist.
As for Joseph, I think he'll also grieve the loss of his birth country. At almost 8 years old, he'll leave everything he's ever known.
But it's my hope that the redemptive part of adoption will eventually far outweigh the losses in Joseph's life. I pray that he will come to feel that he "belongs" in our family. That we will be the right "fit" for him. That God will use his unique history to make him into an amazing man.
White Skirt for Summer...but for Fall???
1 hour ago
I will pray that same thing for Joseph. With Sam being the same age as Joseph, we are very sensitive to Sam's feelings, even though he came home at 5 1/2 months. The hard questions havent come yet, but they are coming soon.... I hope that Sam will get to meet Joseph soon after he comes home and that a "familiar face" will make him feel more at home...
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