It’s been a teary weekend for me… Last night I watched In America, knowing full well I could end up with salty cheeks by the time it was over. I managed to contain the sobs I felt like releasing and only used one tissue — not too bad! (Sidenote: I really liked the movie… Definitely worth seeing.) This morning Tobey preached at Zion. Besides doing a heck of a good job for the second week in a row, he shared some memories related to the tragic death of his sixteen month old niece. As he began this particular illustration I braced myself against empathetically tearing up and yet, when he uttered the words “Daddy, I’m home” as a metaphor to his niece’s entry into heaven, I lost it. As did all the women around me, and a few men, I’m certain. Though I managed to keep the weepy eyes to a minimum, my nose betrayed me and a tissue-dig in the purse was inevitable. Finally, I picked up a book at the library this afternoon entitled, Child of My Heart: A Celebration of Adoption, by Barbara Alpert (Berkley Books). Two pages in and I was racked with intense emotion over the reunion of a birthfather and his biological daughter. I’d share the sweet story here but my keyboard would be positively sticky by the time I was finished. Instead I’ll relay this wonderful passage written by Jamie Lee Curtis, adoptive mom to two children, Annie and Tom:

“I like myself more now that I’m a mother. Annie brings out all my good. And all my weirdness. I can be this nutty wacko mommy for her. You know those markers, the ones you use to highlight sentences? Well, Annie’s my highlighter. She emphasizes the best in me. It just stands out when I’m with her…”

“I don’t care how my family was created. I can tell you what I feel for my children. I love them more than anything in the world I could ever love.”