'Black Friday' in our area of the world was dedicated to the first family (no, not the Obamas).
Hope came to the Maternity Center to visit Bedline (her big sister) and the new baby (her new niece) that had been born on Thanksgiving day. Hope (as if you cannot tell in the photos) was beaming with pride and was so full of joy and excitement about this new little person. Tonight when we prayed together she thanked God for Bedline's safe delivery.
Isaac came to the Maternity Center a little later in the day because in a typical unplanned Haiti-type-fashion his first father showed up at the Maternity Center in need of some blood pressure help and we've had a sense for a while that his health is sketchy enough that a stroke and/or death is not only possible, but maybe even likely in the near future.
We wanted Isaac to at least have the choice to talk to his first dad. Isaac has known his first mom for 7 years. It is a long story and it is Isaac's story, (not mine) but it was precious and painful and good and bad and joy-filled and confusing for Isaac to meet his biological Papa.
As somewhat mature adults we struggle with the paradoxical thoughts and feelings, so as you can imagine it is a lot for kids to process this stuff. (Although I still believe it is better talked about and faced very early on and not saved for when they are teenagers or young adults.) Sometimes just the "what if" scenario stuff is a lot for Isaac. His personality is very literal and needs to label things as right or wrong without much gray area. That makes things tough for him sometimes. Adoption has areas of good and of bad, of loss and of gain. We are guessing we will be talking things through a lot in the coming days and weeks.
