Response to a Post

Please log on to my sister-in-law's blog, link above, and read her comment on race.

Leah, I want to thank you for that beautiful post. Those of you who read this blog know that Leah and James adopted a baby boy from Ethiopia this past August. I can't tell you how many times I have heard people comment on his color. The comments, I hope, have been in pure ignorance, but still bother me. When I proudly told people I was getting a nephew from Ethiopia I recieved strange looks and comments such as "Will it be a black baby?" I'm sure, as stated before, many of these comments were in sheer ignorance. But one has to ponder just how far these thoughts of "race" have been engrained into our vocabulary and culture.

A child is a child, regardless of the country they come from and the color of their skin. I have always wanted a baby from Africa. As a child, and a history buff, I studied the history of slavery in our own country and around the world. I was fascinated by the struggles men and women were subject to because of their color. When I was nine I read a book that has stayed with me throughout my life. It was the history of the Underground Railroad. I read how Harriet Tubman risked life and limb to bring slaves to the free north. I have always been amazed by her story, and admired her for her bravery and devotion to God. Another story that has made such an impression on me is from the American Girl Collection. The story is about a yound slave girl, named Addy, and her mother. With the help of God and the Underground Railroad, Addy and her mother successfully escape to freedom and are eventually reunited with their liberated family after the Civil War. It was Addy's story that made want to adopt an African baby some day.

We are all humans with the same struggles, fears, and problems. I pray that people may someday look beyond the skin and see that we were all beautifully and wonderfully made by a Creator who loves us. Remember, this Creator loved us all so much he gave us Jesus, His son, to save us, regardless of our skin.

I will finish with this statement. I am so proud of Leah and James for adopting Zachary. This child was once a prayer, a hope, and a dream for Leah who longed for a child and the rest of us who wanted her to have a baby. I love you Zachary, and I'm so happy you have come into our family. I hope you will continue to know just how much you are loved as your grow older. You are our miracle, our answer to prayer, and our little bundle of joy, regardless of where you were born and your beautiful brown skin.