Once there were two women who never knew each other;

One you do not remember, the other you call “Mother.”

Two different lives shaped to make you one;

One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it;

The first gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name;

One gave you talent, the other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears;

One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears.

One sought for you a home that she could not provide;

The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.

And now you ask me through your tears….

The age old question, unanswered throughout the years.

Heredity or environment…which are you a product of?

Neither…my darling…neither,

Just two different kinds of love!

-Author unknown-

Jack's Adoption Finalization Hearing

August 17th is a very special day for our family.  It’s the day Jack’s adoption was finalized and he legally became our son.

We walked into a courtroom in Painesville, OH and walked out with the whole world knowing that Jack was ours.  What a great day!

August 17, 2008 passed with barely a whimper.  We knew what the day meant but, for some reason, we did nothing with it.  When the 17th rolled around this year, Jennifer led the charge to make sure this was a memorable day for us and Jack.

We thought about what we could do and nothing that wasn’t cliche came to mind.  We were drawing a blank because a simple party or just a cake or a meal out wasn’t enough.  This day really had to be unique for us and Jackie.

One day, the idea just came to Jennifer.  Perhaps she was doing some web surfing when she found it.  Youthville.

What’s Youthville?  Never heard of it?

Todd hadn’t either.

Youthville is one of the largest non-profit child welfare agencies in Kansas.  Their mission is all about “Giving Children Back Their Childhood.”  They provide foster care and adoption services as well as counseling, therapy and residential psychiatric services.  They’re also always in need of donations.

That’s where we came in.  Wouldn’t it be a great idea to bring a donation to Youthville every year on August 17th?

So that’s exactly what we did.  We took a trip to Wal-Mart and proceeded to stock up on back to school supplies and health and beauty aids.  From there we made a trip to Youthville’s Wichita offices and delivered our donation.

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We did end up getting a cake, too.  “Happy Jackie Marsha Day!”