Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Reflections on my father's legacy

Pardon my randomness, but it is my dad's birthday and this was on my mind.

Today I was thinking about my little girls, Belle and her little sister. I was thinking ahead and about the legacy I will leave behind through them. See, today is my dad’s birthday. It has been 18 months since his death and I look at my life and the legacy he left behind. Regardless of our differences at times, my father taught me a lot about life. He was the same man in the good times and the bad times. I saw him on the mountaintop, and I saw him a broken man in the valley. And through it all, he was still my father and he took care of our family and lead us the best he could. He was not a talkative man, but when you needed advice he was there. When you needed help, he was there. When you reached a milestone, he was there. When you failed, he was there, sometimes with a word of encouragement or an “I told you so” but that was just his way. My dad was a great man. I see the legacy he left behind in me and just hope that I can be there for my daughters and wife like he was for his.

As we are going through this process, it is eye-opening and heart wrenching. As I think about the 147 million children worldwide without a family, it just rips me apart inside. I want to be a champion of adoption and adoption awareness. I want to be able to expose people to the reality of orphans. I want to leave a legacy for my children, as well as the students that come through the door of my classroom, that will cause them to consider how they can be a voice for the voiceless. I shared a video on here a few weeks ago call “Depraved Indifference” and it had to do with just that. If you did not see it, go to my archives or to YouTube and watch the video. It will open your eyes.

Please continue to pray for us as we are trekking along on this adoption journey. We are currently in the middle of our home study (financial paperwork, physicals, etc.). Continue to pray for our little girl who is waiting on us as well as her mother.