Our children teach us what life is all about.
Angela Schwindt
Today is the 24th birthday of my 'baby.' Michael is an amazing person, full of humor and quick wit. Ten years ago, I wrote the following, and the words are just as true today.
Today is my son`s 14th birthday, and I am so thankful that he came into our lives. Tom and I are very blessed that Michael is our son. When times are hard, his humor gets us through them. He is a natural mimic and has an incredible memory for jokes, lyrics, movie lines. We have had Gandhi, an Australian, and Marge Simpson on our answering machine. Michael is his own person, who is strong in his beliefs. He has an incredible sense of what is right and wrong for him, and bears up under peer pressure. He works really hard in school. He lives for music. He plays the drums, and the piano by ear. He is a born actor. He is the most wonderful son, and we love him so much.
Of all the things I love about him, there are two that stand out for me in particular. One is that we 'get' one another's cultural references, much like Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. And how often does it happen in a parent/child relationship that both a mother and a son write papers in college on Jim Morrison?! He began the paper writing with such love for Tom and I that it made me cry. And the second, and most important, is that he talks to us. He calls us up or comes to visit when he is happy or sad or angry about something. This means the world to us. We know what he is thinking and feeling. He values our opinions as we do his. We feel tremendously lucky and happy that he is our son. Years ago when we were in the pre-adoption process, a prospective father in the group said he truly believed that an adoptive family was as preordained by God as a biological family - that the parent and child were meant to be together. I so love this, and I believe it is true. I am thankful each minute of every day that he is our son.
Handsome guy! Happy Birthday, Michael!
ReplyDeleteLezlie
Thank you, Lezlie!
ReplyDeleteYour words of love make me teary-eyed. Our granddaughter, too, is adopted and we know without question she is exactly where God wanted her to be. We adore this little bug (already 6, so not so 'little' any more she'd have you know) and we cannot imagine life without our Gabby.
ReplyDeleteYour Michael is blessed to have such a loving home ~ and you are blessed to have a loving son. Happy Day Michael!
Happy Birthday Michael! Nan, I love reading about your family - it is obvious you all love each other very much, and that is a wonderful blessing.
ReplyDeleteMindy and Heather, your notes mean so much to me, and I thank you.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your boy - he sounds like a sweetheart! Our third boy, also a sweetheart, turns 24 on the 26th of this month.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to Michael! He shares a birthday with my nephew Michael, who is 15 today. Hope you all have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteBirthdays are shared by everyone in a happy family, so Many Happy Returns to Michael and all your family.
ReplyDeleteMaureen
Nan, that is so lovely, thank you so much for sharing it with us. I'm not surprised he is wonderful, I'm sure he has had a very special home and family to grow up in.
ReplyDeleteI too believe that children are born to belong with certain people, that is is God's plan, Michael found his way home. Happy Birthday to him.
Carole
You are so blessed to have such a great son.
ReplyDeleteHappy, happy birthday! A good-looking fellow and obviously a fun one as well!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a moving post, Nan. How fortunate you are - not just to have Michael but also to realise how fortunate you are. It is so easy to find fault in our loved ones - the petty things that annoy and don't really matter in the big scheme of things. But to appreciate how much they mean to you is true love.
ReplyDeleteMay he have many, many happy returns of his birthday.
Happy Birthday to Michael. What wonderful parents you both are. I can see how much he loves you both. You are all very, very lucky and blessed.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Michael, Nan, Tom and Daughter! What a wonderful tribute, photos and family!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this commentary so very much.
If not too intrusive, it would be interesting to read or have a commentary on what you and Michael wrote about Jim Morrison. I have always found intrigue in the Jim Morrison story.
I remember that 14th birthday! You have such a beautiful family and are so very blessed. Happy birthday to Michael!!
ReplyDeleteMy thanks to each of you for your wonderful comments. I was so touched by your caring kind, and wise words. Linda, if you'll go to my profile page, you may email me, and I'll write back about the Jim M. papers.
ReplyDeleteAs an adoptive mother myself, I am always deeply heartened by reading loving accounts by others farther down the road. My twin daughters are only nine, and I cherish every minute with them. We just started a family blog (also from northern New England), where the four of us write about gardening, raising chickens, homeschooling, and reading great books. I look forward to following life on your hill farm from here on our four green acres.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Michael!
ReplyDeleteJune, thanks so much for coming by and leaving a note. I've just spent a few minutes at your blog and will be back! Your girls are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tara!!
Hope your son had a wonderful birthday yesterday!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sherri! We had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant.
ReplyDeleteMany congratulations! Thank you for a beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thank you for taking the time to come by and comment!
ReplyDeleteI know I'm a little late with this, but happy birthday to your boy! Whenever I see his photo, I always think he's that special kind of person that people genuinely want to be around and are so lucky to know. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alison! What a very nice thing to say.
ReplyDeleteOh Nan, this brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful relationship you have with your son. From the photos you can tell that he's a lot of fun, and he's good looking to boot!
ReplyDeleteI really loved this post. After I read it, I read parts to my son. I especially like the bit about adoptive families being pre-ordained as biological. I feel that way too. I told him about your blog and the things we have in common. Matt said, and wow, parts of that guy are just like me! (He is a great mimic - and great with lyrics and movie scripts... and at 10 he loves the Simpsons). Many happy returns of the day - and sorry to be a little late with the comment.
ReplyDeleteDulce, thank you so much for your words.
ReplyDeleteNan, I'm really pleased you shared the post with your boy, and that he responded as he did. I'd love to meet him! Oh, and tell him Michael loves the Simpsons too. :<)
Oh, I just read this, matches are made in heaven. I don't know who is luckier - you two for him or him for you two - because he must know how loved he is as do you. Just wonderful, Nan. You are all very blessed and clearly meant to be a family from the get-go.
ReplyDeleteSusan, thank you so very much.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tribute to your son . . . and HE is a wonderful tribue to you! What a loving family you have!
ReplyDeleteMy "baby" will turn 20 next week. We have a family tradition of getting out our children's baby and/or young school pictures, etc., to relive wonderful memories of years past.
Happy days to you and yours!
Aww, of course he's great -- he's an Aries like me! Happy b-day, Michael!
ReplyDeleteThank you, everydaywoman for your nice words. We used to look at old pictures on the kids' special days, too. Many times when they stop by nowadays, they'll haul out the old albums. I love it.
ReplyDeleteVery funny, Chartroose! Thanks.