As a mother of three rambunctious boys, I loved to introduce them as “My Three Sons". One day when my oldest one was seven the introduction changed to “My Three Sons and my Daughter". We were convinced for almost eleven years that our family was now complete. What more could two people want? However, as the years quickly passed by and we realized that our children were verging on flying the coop, the desire to parent another girl burned within our hearts. We extinguished the fire by adopting a little girl from Kazakhstan. She came home in January 2006.
By the time May rolled around, I was like a frazzled first time mom. Starting over was not as easy as I thought it was going to be. All the difficulties adoption books and magazines describe for some infants was true of our little girl. She was a bottle of energy filled with a stick of dynamite ready to explode at any given moment. She was grieving the loss of the life she knew for nine months. She would butt her head against my chest or scratch at my face. To top off the stress for her, she had health issues that required constant trips to the doctors as well as the hospital.
As Mother’s Day approached, I found myself depressed. I came home from our morning services wanting to hibernate for the rest of the day, when the phone rang. I was thrilled to hear the voice of my oldest son’s voice on the other line. He was attending college over twenty-five hundred miles away and since classes were over in just a few weeks, he was unable to come home at this time.
“Go check your email for an attachment and then call me back." He instructed me, and what it contained was what this downtrodden and exhausted mother needed. Unknown to me a month earlier when he had been home on his spring break, he had secretly gotten his father and siblings together to make a video. Their words displayed kindness, compassion, understanding and gratitude for what I had done for them and their new baby sister. What made this gift special was that it came with no prompting from his dad. This was entirely his idea and his work. It is also true that the some of the best gifts one can receive are those that cost very little money but come straight from the heart.
Two years later, I am blessed with a little ball of fire that is now a happy well-adjusted toddler. My oldest boys are attending college, and the oldest son is engaged. My third son will graduate from high school at the end of this year, and my oldest daughter will start high school in the fall. People told me to enjoy my children while they were young, because they don't stay that way for long. They were absolutely right. However, I am grateful that as the older four are leaving, I still have many years left before my last one leaves the nest. I love having a little one around again calling me “mommy".
» left by Cheryl M. from USA (1 year 257 days ago.)
Wow. God Bless you. May you treasure each moment as the gift that it is! Respond to this comment
» left by Beckie (1 year 255 days ago.)
Thank you for reading my story and your encouraging words. Yes, must always treasure the moments we have. Respond to this comment
» left by Jennifer Maggio from Baton Rouge, LA (1 year 257 days ago.)
How beautiful! I cannot believe how thoughtful boys can be at that age--teenage boys. To have a grown son to think of you in such a way, I'm sure, is such a blessing. You are truly blessed.
» left by Beckie (1 year 255 days ago.)
Thank you, Jennifer. I was extremely impressed with the thoughtfulness of my son and it is neat to see them grow up and mature. I am truly blessed. Respond to this comment
» left by Eve Juurik (1 year 257 days ago.)
Dear Becky, what a beautiful testimony! Thank You so much for sharing it with us :-)
Many, many blessings to You and Your beautiful family,
» left by Beckie (1 year 255 days ago.)
Thank you, Eve, for reading my story and appreciate the blessings. Respond to this comment
» left by Anonymous (1 year 257 days ago.)
Wonderful story, Beckie. Thanks for sharing! Respond to this comment
» left by Susan Thom(11,853) Susan Thom (1 year 255 days ago.)
hi beckie,
that was a nice wish to come true. i'm glad it happened for you. this was a sweet, passionate article. thanks for sharing,
best regards,
sue thom Respond to this comment
» left by Beckie (1 year 255 days ago.)
Thank you, Susan. It was a special time in my life indeed and I was excited about sharing it. Respond to this comment
Was this article helpful to you? Leave a Public Comment or Question:
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
