Tuesday, August 22, 2006, 10:06 a.m., D.S.T., Nashville, Tennessee~

Dear Jill~

It was nice to hear from you; thanks for writing!

To tell you a bit about myself, Jill, my name is Louisiana Sandusky. I have been married to my husband (Bill) for 15 years (June 26th was our anniversary), and we are now the proud parents of 54 children, all adopted. Our children now range in age from two on up to 24, and they come from all over the world: Europe (Germany, Russia, France, Bosnia Hergizovina, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania), Asia (Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Vietnam), Africa (Kenya), the Middle East (Iran), Canada, Latin America (Mexico, Guatemala), and of course, the good ole U.S. of A.

Most of our children are disabled. Some have what is known as "hidden disabilities" (deafness, epilepsy, learning disabilities, autism, etc.), but most have disabilities that are quite apparent once you see them. Some of them use wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, or canes for mobility while others have absolutely no trouble with getting around. Some have missing limbs, and one boy has burn scars all over his body. Some have chronic breathing problems, and some are blind and rely on canes or guide dogs for getting around easier.

We adopted our first two (Johnathon and Ronee') when they were tiny babies (they are no longer little: they will be fourteen come December), and soon after, we added seven more, instantly swelling our small family of four to a larger family of 11 seemingly overnight! Now we are getting ready to adopt our fifty fifth child in a month from Israel (a little boy!), and as you can imagine, we are excited beyond belief!

It has gotten to the point to where we cannot imagine our family without any of the children: each child has placed an indelible spot within our hearts, and we have fallen in love with them quite fiercely!

Yes, raising our burgeoning family is a daunting task, but we have a system that works best for us. We rely on team participation, and when we have chores, all of the children are involved, from the oldest still at home to the very youngest, and even the most severely disabled ones take part. Nobody is left out, and whenever we need babysitters so Bill and I can get out for a while, the older kids watch out over the littler ones, and we also have help in my parents. We have to budget our money very closely or we would most likely end up in the poorhouse.

With the right tools and supervision, a large family such as ours can function---and quite well.

Yes, we do get stares or comments from other people, but then again, it isn't every day when you see a couple in their thirties being followed by a seemingly unending stream of children, children of all ages, children of all sizes, children of varying degrees of disability, children of all colors of the rainbow!

I am glad that you got a chance to read my book "...And The Miracles Continue", which was the newest book prior to the one I just did (the latest book is a children's book about our family, my first venture into the field of children's literature). This latest book is due out in stores by Christmas, the way things look now.

I will be sending you the book you requested, "A Family Made Out Of Miracles And Rainbows", which was the first book I'd done about our family). It is about our early years as a family, as well as the challenges we have had to face as adoptive parents. It also features several stories about some of the children (Johnathon, Ronee', Deborah, Robertito, etc.) and what they have had to go through to reach the point they are at currently.

It makes for interesting, compelling reading, and the book has lots of pictures of us "back then" and even pictures of us BC ("Before Children" LOL). There are also stories about the three children we lost (L'Acadia, Pierre, and Aron) and stories about my (and Bill's) childhoods in Louisiana and North Carolina, respectively.

The book I will be sending you will be free of charge and personally autographed. I hope you will enjoy it! Let me know when it comes in the mail, and let me know what you think of it!

Jill, your children (Spirit, Willow, Clancy, and Quinn) sound lovely; you will have to send us a picture of yourselves so we can see what y'all look like! I am happy that you are giving them a chance at life, and I am glad that you would consider adopting a child with special needs!

So many children who have special needs or are considered "unadoptable" desperately need homes or families they can call their own, and this is one reason why we chose to adopt the children we did. We wanted to show society that children with special needs deserve a family just like a healthy child or an infant does, and we wanted to show them that even though they are disabled, they are children first and foremost!

I am sorry the weather there has been hot. If I could bottle up some of our cooler Nashville weather, I would send it your way. I know Oklahoma and Texas has been crying for rain or cooler temperatures; I will go to the Man Upstairs in prayer and see if I can convince Him to do something about the terribly dry conditions y'all have been experiencing this summer! Is that a deal? *grins*

Well, dear, I have to go now. I  am supposed to be on my lunch break, and if I don't eat something while the gettin's good, I won't be able to eat until I get off at two (lately it's been as late as five or even seven; I have been pullin' in a lot of overtime lately, which will look great on the ol' paycheck!). Besides, my stomach is doin' an awful lot of talkin', and my co-workers are giving me dirty looks! LOL I am sure they can hear my growly belly! LOL

Take care, Jill, and do write back. I will be waiting to hear from you! Let me know when you get the book, and I hope you enjoy it! (Consider it a gift from me. Don't worry about paying for it! It's already taken care of! :) ) God bless you mightily!

(((HUGS))) and much love, a new friend in Tennessee, Louie May Sandusky (soon to be the mamma to 55 Miracles! :) ). :D