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A Very Large And Loving Family: The Sandusky Family Story, Continued by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Friday, March 12, 2004
Rated "G" by the Author.
Life goes on for this very large and varied family. As you can see, life, at the moment, is very good for the Sandusky family.
Although the family is fictional, it is based on families I have met in real life, families who have taken on the responsibility of raising children with serious special medical and physical needs. This is my tribute to those families.
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We are a family, first and foremost, but we are a family who has taken on the new meaning of the word "BIG".
We ARE that. "Big." In fact, we are VERY "big". We are probably bigger than most families you are used to seeing; but to us, "Big is Beautiful", and we can't imagine our lives without any of our children. That is, in fact, our "family motto": "Big Is Beautiful", and it is THE perfect description of our "International Family"!
We are the adoptive parents of an unbelievable 50 children. (Yeah, people STILL say we are "crazy" for taking on so many children; but this is OUR life, NOT theirs, and our children are OUR life! As long as they have a need, we will ALWAYS be there for them!) Our children now range in age from four on up to nearly 23 years of age. And we are also grandparents: we have three grandchidren, two boys and a girl. And we have since found out that our oldest daughter (Lightning) is once again pregnant, which will mean our fourth grandchild. As you can imagine, we are both estatic at the news!
Our children, although many, are our life, and we live for our children. We want to make sure that they know that they are loved each and every day by us, and we want to give them everything they need in life; for quite a few came to us lacking the basics of most things, including a home, a family, stability in their lives, and even love. Some of these children came to us, unloved, unwanted, and abused. They knew nothing but fear, rejection, and uncertainty in their young lives, and they didn't know how to cope.
Our children come from many different lands: South and Central America, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East. Their skin color ranges from brown to ruddy, pale pink to dark ebony, and various shades of creme and tan; and their hair comes in a variety of shades of brown, red, orange, yellow (blonde), and black. Their hair ranges from straight as a stick and baby fine to wavy or kinky and thick as a bristle brush, and their eyes range from slanted to round, and their colors range from the bluest of blues to the inkiest of blacks, and all shades of brown, green, grey, and even violet purple. They speak with a variety of accents, and their heritages are many; but to us, their parents, they are still our children, and they are ours to have and to love.
Our children also come with a variety of physical (and mental) handicaps and disabilities; and some are very obvious (wheelchairs, crutches, mental "slowness" due to mental retardation, braces, hearing aids, glasses, artificial limbs, etc.), while others are "hidden" and are not in plain sight (such as the epilepsy that Johnny, Jodie, Michael, Camey, and Lightning all share; their problem isn't really noticeable until they have one of their seizures). Some are only mildly affected while others, like Jodie and Todd, are severely affected, with both children needing help in most of their daily living skills. Both are profoundly retarded, and both will probably never be able to live independently on their own; yet, despite their severe disabilities, both are delightful, charming children who know how to give love back and bring out the best in people whenever people first meet them.
Some of these children also come with special "gifts" that set them apart. Like with Ronee' and her singing and musical abilities (she is working towards her goal of becoming a singer in country music; and she also wants to become a writer--she is currently working on a book about her life--). Or with Johnny: he loves life and lives for the moment. He is a very caring soul with a compassionate nature, and he is the boy who will be comforting a friend or sibling who is hurting, or the child who doesn't let death bother him, even though he IS dying of an incurable disease that threatens to take his life before he reaches the age of 13. But as long as we have him, and as long as he is still alive, we are going to do all we possibly can to enjoy this beautiful little boy with the white-blonde hair, incredibly blue eyes, and sweet, loving, giving nature.
We live in a very big, sprawling house in the city of Nashville, Tennessee, and our house is almost to the bursting point. But this is starting to change, as the oldest children, one by one, are slowly, but surely, starting to spread their young wings and fly, and they are preparing to leave the nest and venture to points unknown and will soon embark on a new and exciting adventure in their lives. Our current oldest child at home, Steffi, will be starting college in the fall (she is now nearing the age of 17), and she is saving up for college by working at Golden Corral. She is very good at her job, and she is a very hard and dedicated worker. She works part time, and also juggles a busy school and social life. She is now driving, and she loves life. She is no longer the young rebellious teen "gang-member wannabe" we once knew; she has blossomed into a sweet, caring young lady with a heart of gold, and she is very happy with herself nowadays, much to our joy. Our oldest son, Anh, is now 16, and he recently was healed of cancer (thanks to a Divine Intervention by the Lord Above!); and he is now enjoying his newfound health and is now taking driving lessons. He wants to buy a HUMMER and is saving his money by delivering newspapers and working part time on the weekends at a local DairyQueen. He is very happy, too, and we are happy for him.
Life for us, Louie, my wife, and myself (this is Bill, by the way) is also very good at the moment. We are both working very hard to provide for our very large brood, and while money CAN get tight a lot of the time, we don't regret a thing, and God continually provides for us. Whenever we need a bit of help with our finances, somehow He always provides, and we are never short for money, and this comes in handy come bill time. Our bills are many (especially the medical bills), but somehow, they always end up getting paid, and we never have to worry about being behind. If we DO get behind somehow, friends and family are always there to lend a hand, and this is very much appreciated, more than they may ever know or realize! We also have several good working vehicles to transport all of us to wherever we need to go, and if our cars/vans act up or break down, we can always count on friends to help us in our time of need. We have a very caring support network of friends and church family who are always willing to give us a helping hand whenever we need it. We are truly blessed, not just by our beautiful children that God brought to us through the Miracle of International Adoption, but by our friends and church family who are happy to stand by us!
We also have a very Loving God who has shown us many times His Saving Grace and Power, and He has never ceased in showing us His Miracles in our lives, and it is because OF Him that we have continued to flourish and grow in our Christian walk. We are awed and amazed at all God has done in our lives, and even when we feel that we AREN'T worthy of His Love or Mercy, He shows us that He cares for us always, and whatever we may face in our lives, be it the sickness of one or more of our children, mounting medical bills, or car problems, He is always there to provide assistance, and somehow, our problems slowly melt away, and they are somehow mended.
I personally don't know what we may have done to deserve all these blessings in our lives; but I hope that they continue. God has been faithful to us, and it would be STUPID not to revel in His Glory, or to give up on Him when things get tough. We can't imagine our lives WITHOUT God, and it is because OF God that our lives have been enriched; and it is because OF God that I have the family that I do. We are certainly doing well, and I hope, for His Sake, that it never does end!
I have written a chapter called I Am That, I Am in this inspirational compilation book by best-selling authors and wonderful people from all walks of life xox :-D (Its sister book is called Adventures In Manifesting - Success and Spirituality)
Timeless wisdom and advice on the art of living for today’s young and old: The art of thinking, the art of loving, the art of working, the art of leadership, the art of growing old.
A new translation by Sergio E. Serrano of this inspirationa
GLIMPSE OF AN ANGEL IS NOW AVAILABLE. A PORTION OF ALL SALES WILL GO TO HOSPICE TO THUS ENABLE THEM TO HELP OTHERS WHO ARE SOON TO PASS TO THE OTHER SIDE. NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
We are a family, first and foremost, but we are a family who has taken on the new meaning of the word "BIG".
