Friday Friend or Family Feature...

My brother-in-law made a very eloquent speech at our wedding. It was about relying on one another for strength during difficult times. He asked us to survey the room and to notice all the support we had if we needed it. (He said it in a much more eloquent way than that, and I would give you a link to the speech if I were more computer savvy but..) The point is that we have needed it, the support and strength I mean, and we have received it in a myriad of different ways over the years.

Every Friday I would like to feature a friend or family member that has helped us over the years. Our lives are intertwined and I believe our adoption will affect many of these people in various ways. So, without further ado, the first person I would like to "speak" about is my mother-in law Chris.



This is a picture of my mother-in-law holding my husband. I guess that Chris came to mind first because I feel that, next to Steven and me, she is the one for whom this adoption may have the most impact. That, combined with the fact that she is coming here next Tuesday for Thanksgiving, has got me thinking about her.

Chris is not yet a grandmother. This has always brought me sadness. A few Thanksgivings ago, Chris came to celebrate with us. I was drinking sparkling apple cider for our Champagne Thanksgiving toast. I was pregnant. It was glorious. The three of us were giddy with excitement and joy. She had brought me a strange and wonderful gift, Melisana Klosterfrau Melissengeist Carmelite Water, supposedly great for morning sickness. She was going to be a grandma, we were going to be parents. We thought, "This is our last child-free Thanksgiving!" Well it wasn't.




Chris is no stranger to loss. She lost her husband, George in November of 1991. She has persevered, creating a rich life for herself in spite of losing her soul mate. She has raised two of the most incredible men that I have ever met.


I can't wait to see her teaching my new kids about the wonders of a library or the intricacies of a maple leaf. I look forward to the day when she shows these new grand kids her miniature horses, her cats and her dogs. I can't wait to see my kids show her a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. (She is the only person I know who drinks more coffee than I do). I want to be a fly on the wall when she brags to her friends about her grand kids and all the funny things they do, or even hear her say, "My daughter-in-law is in way over her head." I cant wait.




So Chris, sorry about that sucky Thanksgiving in 2003. I am hopeful that this one will be better, and I am going to go out on a limb here and say, "This may very well be our last child/grandchild free Thanksgiving". (If not this one, then definitely the next one.)