Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you!
We have ten reasons to be thankful, in the guise of our ten children, whom we have adopted over the past five years. Our children range in age from 18 down to two. We have five boys and five girls. We cannot imagine our life without any one of them.
Our children came to us from places like China, Korea, Israel, Ethiopia, and the continental United States. Their names are, from the oldest down to the youngest: Shane Patrick (18, Korea); Hollie Beth (16, New Mexico); Darin Peter (14, Colorado); Sebastian Oswald (13, Korea); Andrew Ishmael (12, Israel); Gloriana Dawnee' (11, China); Maggie Laine (9, Louisiana); Derick Phillip (7, Florida); Bintu Praise (5, Ethiopia); and finally, the baby, Melissa Anne Elizabeth Grace (2, China).
Most of the kids are healthy, I'm happy to say, but several (Darin, Maggie, Derick, and Bintu) have special needs. Darin has autism (Asbergers, which is the mild form of the disorder) while Maggie has asthma and numerous severe food allergies that have put her into the hospital more times than we'd like to admit. As for Derick and Bintu, both were born with spina bifida and both are paralyzed (Derick is in a wheelchair while Bintu walks with leg braces and crutches).
Our newest child, Bintu, came six months ago, and the girls are happy to have another sister. Melissa came to us ten months ago; in January, it will be one year since she first joined our family from China. She is such a little cuddle-bug!
We went from not having any children to TEN in five years' time ... and in the future, there may be more added to the family! We (husband Patrick and myself; I'm Bonnie, by the way) have more than enough love in ou hearts to give to children who might not otherwise have a chance in life. We want these "special kids" to know that there are good people on this earth who love and/or care for them.
We started adopting, thanks, in part, to our friend from church, Louisiana Sandusky, and her husband, William (Bill). They took it upon themselves to adopt not one, not five, not ten, or even twenty children, but a staggering 61children, most with special needs! Then they went ahead and had two more when Louisiana gave birth to twins (both boys); the twins (Ian and Isaiah) just turned fou years old two days ago.
I have come to know and love "Miss Louisiana" like a second mamma and her children have endeared themselves to my heart. The children have all grown into wonderful young men and women of God.
Both Patrick and myself thought that "if the Sanduskys can do it, then, by God, so could we". So we started the adoption proceedings to adopt our first child (and somehow ended up with TEN!!).
The rest, as they so often say, is history.
I am happy to say that our church, Christ Community Assembly of God, has been very welcoming and accepting towards families like ours (and the Sanduskys), plus they have ministry opportunities for kids, youth, adults, and senior citizens who have special needs. I just wish that society, as a whole, could be as accepting. We are subjected to stares, rude comments, finger-pointing ... or all three, which really gets on Patrick's and my nerves!
Well, we are getting ready to get "our grub faces on", so I'll go. May y'all have a most joyous Thanksgiving holiday full of family, food, fun, football, love, and laughter, and above all, God's bountiful harvest of blessings!
~Bonnie Taggart, Nashville, Tennessee.
