Louisiana, adoptive parent to 50 special-needs children, tells us why her children mean so much to her.
She is currently working on a book about her special-needs adopted family, and she is deciding which pictures will be in her book. As she is looking through the piles of pictures, she is struck with feelings of rememberance.
I have, before me, piles of pictures that are strewn across the kitchen table. I am working on updating our family scrapbook, and whenever I look at the pictures, waves of nostalgia and remembering wash over me.
I am also deciding on which pictures that I will use when I finish the book I am working on, "A Family Made out of Rainbows and Miracles--The Sandusky Family: A Story of Love and International Adoption". Hopefully it will be out by Christmas time, and hopefully, someone will publish my book!
As I look at the pictures in front of me, certain ones seem to stand out.
Like the one where I am holding our first adopted son, Johnathon, when he was first placed into my waiting arms. Johnny was just a little bitty fellow at that time, only a few months old, but the look of joy and wonderment on my face is something I will probably never forget. He was our first adopted child, and he will always hold a special place in my heart.
Johnny is now nearly 11 years old, teetering on the threshold of teenagerhood.
He is also dying. He has an incurable neuromuscular disease, muscular dystrophy, and he is now in a wheelchair most of the time. But he is still my precious baby boy, and he will always be a shining light in my eyes.
Or the picture where Ronee', my second adopted child, is singing on the stage of the world famous Grand Ole Opry, where she appeared with Loretta Lynn as her special guest (Loretta's special guest; Loretta Lynn was NOT Ronee' 's special guest! Thought that I would clarify things here...). Ronee' was just 8 years old then, and she had just come back from recovering from a devastating stroke; yet, when you look at the picture of her singing, you would have never guessed she even had a stroke because she looks--well, HEALTHY and normal. She looks just like any other typical little girl who is living out her dream of becoming a country music star.
Ronee' is now ten, nearly ten-and-a-half, and she is still singing her special brand of Cajun style country music. She is on the brink of stardom, thanks to being on several national tv shows, including "Star Search" on CBS. (She didn't win on "Star Search", but she still had a very good time.)
Another picture that means so much to me is the one where Barbara is feeding her little sister, Jodie. Barbara is looking down at her little sister with such love and devotion on her young face, and Jodie is staring up at Barbara with her beautiful Oriental eyes. Jodie was being tube-fed in the picture; yet, she enjoyed being with her older sister, and she is looking up at her with a huge drooly grin on her small face. Barbara--teenager, yes, but one who has such a giving and caring heart; and one who is sensitive to the needs and feelings of her brothers and sisters, quite unlike many teenagers of today. She is living proof that teenagers CAN succeed at life and be good kids!
Another picture is the one where Bill and I are exchanging wedding kisses during our wedding. He is wearing a blue tux, and I am wearing a long, flowing wedding gown complete with veil, and in true Cajun tradition, my veil is covered with money. (In Cajun weddings, it is considered good luck if a guest pins money on the veil of the bride, in their way of wishing them luck in their newly wedded lives together.) My husband still has his hair long in the picture, and in his hand is the external fixator device he was wearing at the time. (He had injured his hand in an industrial accident, and he was still recovering from that injury when we got married. He ended up having to have that thing in his hand for several more months after our wedding.)
I look at that picture now, and I wonder how we have managed to stay married for as long as we have. In just a few weeks, we will celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary. We have been through so much together, and we have both been blessed beyod measure by a Loving God who has seen to making our lives so much better following the tragic deaths of our three natural children, L'Acadia, Pierre, and Aron.
Still another picture that grabs my attention is the one taken just this past year, several months after we had gotten May Lee, Pu Li, Sergei, Kwame', and Benjamin. It is around Christmas time, and the kids are all sitting in the backyard, dressed in their best. The kids are mostly all smiling (Kwame' is looking bored out of his mind, and Jodie is crying her head off; you can see the tears on her small face), and they are enjoying being photographed--except for Jodie and Kwame', as I have just mentioned.
I have already decided that I will probably use that picture for the back of the book, and I am still figuring out which picture I will use for the cover. There are just too many to choose from, and between raising my family, taking care of my husband and my parents, and working at my job, it is ANY wonder I have ANY spare time for myself, to where I CAN work on my book or have some needed leisure time! It ISN'T very often when I have moments like the one I am presently having, and I want to take advantage of all the time I have to myself as I can possibly get! :)
Well, I have to go; one of the kids is crying, and I don't know what is up. Have to see what is going on and try to rectify things....
you are unique in your own special way Karen...vivid story once again!!
love
tinka
Reviewed by Tony Nerone
6/2/2003
Very Good, Karen
The lady has a big heart! Very enjoyable write!
tony
Reviewed by Robert Blackwell
6/2/2003
Your stories are such a special read, and this one is no exception.
{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}
Reviewed by Kate Clifford
6/2/2003
A beautiful story of a very caring woman and each child touched my heart and I could almost see each picture from the description and the feelings of the time that went with it. Excellent write.
Let this coming of age story of a boy named Bean take you back to a simple time. Set in a small southern town in the 1960's, encircled by a river and gleaming white cotton fields.
It's almost Christmas. Lynn Basil is writing her last book about a secret entrance into the magical doll land of Sha Bebe that she loves so much. Bagannos have taken over the world! Lynn finally meets her dolls in real life. Can she write in a Secret
It's almost Christmas. Lynn Basil is writing her last book about a secret entrance into the magical doll land of Sha Bebe that she loves so much. Bagannos have taken over the world! Lynn finally meets her dolls in real life. Can she write in a Secret
