To A Child Waits:
Like a tardy bride with a pile of unacknowledged wedding gifts,
I have been meaning to write you. As the years pile on, the guilt builds higher.
But, my Gram always said, it is better late than never.
It has been a very busy three years since I first met my son
(Jesse) and daughter (Geneva) -a never-ending rollercoaster thrill ride of ups
and downs and near misses. It started with new-to-the-world seven year old "toddlers":
911 calls, opening doors in moving cars, one almost drowning, lighting paper
on fire in the living room to simulate sparklers (no damage), poking every switch
and button, shoplifting, tantrums (some mine), "you're not my Mom",
learning to swing, learning to ride a bike, learning to swim, learning to read,
learning English, first Halloween, first Veterans Day parade, first Christmas,
first birthday parties, first Mother's Day (you're the best Mom ever!), first
Fourth of July, playing soccer/basketball/baseball, first plane rides, first
train rides, first (and probably last, but what a blast!) Disney Cruise, swimming
with dolphins, visits to Grandma and Grandpa in Florida, trips to New Hampshire
and Maine with Aunt Deb and the grown cousins (hero worship), visiting other
Kazak kids from the orphanage, Cub Scout camps, Brownie camps, Church Bible
camps, sleep-overs, camping at the lake and ocean, fishing on lake and river,
river rafting, tutoring and summer school, first funeral (Grandpa), surviving
cancer (me). Oh, and work, too.
The children are in good health but both had developmental
delays. Now they are growing tall and growing up. We get compliments now on
their behavior rather than appalled stares. Their wants are now more sophisticated
(No, you can't have that just because Ryan, Katie, etc, do), but their zest
for life is undiminished.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for our wonderful
family. Three lives were changed forever due to your generosity. Bless you.
Pam, Geneva, and Jesse Sadler