Loving As Your Own

Yesterday I talked a little bit about some of my adoption heroes being parents who adopted children through foster care (or just through the state really) or through international adoption. Some of my other heroes are parents who adopted "step" children. Those who whether the adoption was official or not they have raised these children as if they were born to them and loved them thoroughly enough that these children never question whether they are the "real" child of this parent. I have seen split families within my own family and know that having "step" families can be hard. But just like with any adoption, the way a child joins your family is not any where near as important is them being there and being so grateful that they are. And these parents that can see that, and can treat these children in every way as their own, are heroes to me.
I am also so grateful that all our family, all our extended family, have always treated Abby as if she had been born to us. (I actually wonder sometimes if Abby gets a little bit of special treatment because she is so unique among our gigantic, very white, family. I think she would have been seen as special and a miracle even if we had born her, just since we had to wait so long, but the added uniqueness of her also coming to us through adoption has given her a special place in everyone's heart - at least that's how it feels to me. It probably also helps that she is a girl. I have 23 nephews but only 6 nieces and the niece closest to Abby in age is 6 years older than her. Anyway...) No one in our family is Abby's "step family", but it's the same idea - loving someone as your family regardless of how they joined. It's all about adoption, which is all about love.
My song for today: "Didn't Have to Be" by Brad Paisley. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjO1F6oCab8)