Someone Else's Child

Shannon

hey there

do you have 2 seconds?

2:21pm

Michelle

i do, i do

and i am.

2:21pm

Shannon

i just wanted to tell you -

i was thinking about you and Eric over the weekend

and what a wonderful thing you are doing

I read on somebody's profile on match.com, "

If you are a single mother, God bless you. But I want to have my own children, not someone else's."

and it cut me to the quick

just the wording

2:22pm

Michelle

yeah, no kidding.

2:22pm

Shannon

and that got me to thinking bigger picture

what if no one ever wanted "someone else's children"

and I started think ing about you guys

and my cousin and her husband who adopted twins from China

and I just wanted to connect with you and acknowledge what an amazing thing you are doing

and how I, as a mother, and a single one, am very grateful for that

it just really affected me

and also kind of made me feel closer to you

that's all

2:24pm

Michelle

well, thanks. that's really encouraging-

and encouraging to know that others are listening, thinking of, and praying for us.

and we really love y'all. we should hang out again soon. Rowan is good for Eric.

2:25pm

Shannon

you bet

is there a possibility you will adopt the little boy you have now?

(and lol re Rowan being good for Eric)

2:25pm

Michelle

there's a possibility, yes,

but it's a long road.

we'd love to.

but we're in it for whatever is best for him and believe that our forever children will come to us trhough adoption.

*through.

2:26pm

Shannon

your forever children

that is WONDERFUl

L

well I am here if you ever need to vent or scream or cry or share some tiny wonder

I know we don't know each other THAT well

but there are ties that bind

2:28pm

Michelle

Thank you. Would you mind if I posted some of your words on our blog?

An excerpt from a chat I had with a friend on Facebook this afternoon got me thinking about what makes a child my own. If family starts and ends with biology then we're a world in trouble. Aaron and I don't share DNA, and though my mom says we favor physically (brown hair?)- that's just coincidence, but am I any less his Mother? I feed him, I rock him, I read with him, and I talk with him. I pay for his diapers and buy him clothes. I sign the documents when I take him to the doctor. I love him and cherish him- isn't that family? And Shannon- she doesn't share my blood and we've only spent brief hours together, but she took the time to talk, she cares about us, and shares with us; Our lives are rich with "someone else's child (sister, mother, brother, uncle)", and the ties that bind us to them, while not DNA, can be just as strong.