Ellie asked me the other day if someday she could adopt a kid, too. That hit home for me because that is the point! That is one little/big thing we would love to see re-created. :) As a friend of mine said in a precious note today, adoption shouldn't just be something "the crazy people" take under their wings. Nope. Ryan and I want a legacy of adoption to be planted into our kids. Why? Because we believe we are adopted into a family much bigger and sweeter and worthwhile than just being a human on this earth who undergoes a VERY fast life cycle.
Good ol' Webster says a legacy is:
**a gift of property, especially personal property, by will; a bequest.
**anything handed down from the past
My brother in law said this past weekend, while speaking at my mother-in-law's memorial service, that a legacy is left IN people. The pastor went on to say that we leave pieces of ourselves in the lives we touch.
I'm sure a lot of people have a lot of different opinions on how to live life well and make impact. Some people incorporate faith and religion, some people just live life, cross their fingers, and hope for the best.
I have no clue if people ever really know the legacy they are creating, or will leave behind when they're gone. I think it's certainly IN the life I/we are leading, though. And I know that Ryan and I have 3 pairs of eyes staring at us every.single.day that are following our lead. And someday, another pair of eyes will travel 26 hours on an airplane to follow our lead, too.
A good friend of mine recently was asked why he was adopting. His immediate response was, "life is too short not to." That response captures part of our answer. The legacy we do want to leave is one in which we model for our kids the brevity of this life, and yet the amazing opportunities it gives us!!
So, I guess what I'm thinkin' about tonight is that I want to leave a legacy in my kids. Period. That's what I want. And that's not just in regards to building a family through adoption, although that is one way for us. It's also modeling laughter, vulnerability, a need for Jesus, and saying "I'm sorry."
I'm a lucky gal that I GET to have days to live with these small people in my home. They make me happy. I am excited for our little African dude to jump in.
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