Adoption, Love, Family, Friends, Gospel

On Wednesday, I witnessed something pretty special. Two girls from a broken family (if you can even call it that) formally and legally became part of a whole family. My brother and his wife adopted two sweet girls. Rather than try to write something coherent about it, I'll leave that for my brother. Instead, here are some miscellaneous thoughts from the day.

• It was beautiful - happy smiles, nice clothes, joyful words - but getting to that day was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. (Yes, literally, and a lot of other things that are smellier.) Fostering and adopting is wonderful, but it is painfully messy.
• The outpouring of love and support from family and friends was moving. Waiting in the hall outside the courtroom it was fun to see the elevator doors open and loved ones pour out; there to support them. In the middle of the day. In the middle of the week. Others hosted a party to celebrate afterwards where more folks came to rejoice with them. And that was just Wednesday, to say nothing of all the help they've had in the past. Makes me glad that they are well-loved and cared for. The body of Christ is a beautiful thing. 
• The questions they were asked before the judge are life-altering. What happened made it legally as though those girls were born to my brother and his wife. It is permanent. It is forever.
• And how to say this. You might not be able to tell from the picture below but the girls occasionally do things that are not lovable. But their forever parents love them anyway, because they have been loved.
• All of this screams Gospel, doesn't it? Good news. God takes unlovable people, because of Jesus, and loves them, makes them part of his family forever. Permanently and unalterably. 
• Wednesday was a good day.
• Here they are: