I’m up. Thinking. Watching and praying.

One of the blessings children have brought to Andy and me is a renewed connection and bond with our extended family. Ever since Simon was born we have done more talking, visiting, and emailing with family than ever before. Maybe it’s that we’re more in need of help and support. Maybe it’s that we have more in common now that we have kids too. Whatever the reason, it’s been a real blessing all around.

One of the neat things about Simon is that he has an extended family that we’ve never met, his biological family. As questions come up about his adoption, I’m looking forward to sharing with him about the brave woman who brought him into the world and explaining that, although we may never meet them, he has lots of extended family out there who look like him and are loving him from a distance.

I’ve been talking to a woman who runs a support group for parents of children with a 22q11 diagnosis. She mentioned to me in passing that when the parents get together and exchange photos, they are always struck by how much their children look alike. The distinctive facial features that some 22q children share make them look almost like siblings. I’ve been thinking, if Ramona is able to survive her heart defect, maybe she will come to see other 22q children as an extended family of sorts. Maybe she will be touched by the love and care of other families who have been touched by 22q. Maybe as she turns from a curious child, to a questioning teenager, to a seeking adult she will find some answers and comfort in their faces and stories.

I feel grateful that both Simon and Ramona have this extended family to draw on in the years ahead. I hope that Simon will one day have a chance to meet his biological mother and family. I hope that Ramona is able to survive and connect with other children with 22q. I pray most of all that Andy and I will have the wisdom to answer their questions about who they are with compassion and care. I pray that we will be able to share with them and fill them with the same sense of pride and gratitude we have about the special way God has built our family.

Ramona’s sleeping peacefully beside me, I’m going to try and do the same, Jane.