Ian

I got a nice surprise this afternoon, a visit from Ian and my sister Nan. Ian is my nephew and the son of my other sister, Tressa. Most of my friends know about Ian. I'm sure they say, "Don't get Cat started talking about Ian!" But he is our family's miracle child, and I mean really, shouldn't we talk about miracles?

Tres has never married, but she has always wanted a child. She tried being a foster parent, and that turned out badly when the little girl was put back into the sexually abusive situation and pretty much traumatized us all, so when she began hinting that she might adopt, we weren't supportive at all, but she didn't care; when she sets her sights on something, she usually does it. Guess it runs in the family.

A lady who worked with her had a pregnant, unmarried, teenage daughter who was about to have an abortion. As badly as Tres wanted a baby, she couldn't live with this idea, so she gently convinced them to let her adopt the baby instead. Long story short, she got a lawyer, steered through the months of legalities and unwed parents who waivered and then decided it was for the best. Tres was at the hospital the day Ian was born and brought him home. Finally, she had a son!

I drove up a couple of days later, full of misgivings, determined that come what may, I would love this tiny stranger because Tressa did. Ha! I walked in, bent over the bassinet, picked him up, and held him against me.......and I was a goner. Blood-kin or not, he was ours, and from that moment on, I would have gone into attack mode for him as quickly as for my own son or my other nephews.

And what kind of little boy did we get? I told you, a miracle child. His bio-parents are borderline mentally challenged, so we were prepared to cope with learning problems. Having been a school counselor, I've known hundreds, no thousands, of kids, and he is one of the most intelligent children I've known, and he's funny, and he's so gorgeous strangers go out of their way just to speak to him. Yeah, we got a winner. We say it's a God Thing.