A Good Reminder

I came across this email that I had sent to Scott 2 years ago. I decided to post it on my blog.


Last night as Levi was doing his homework, he was asked to write a paragraph about a time when someone didn't respect his feelings and how it made him feel. He had just been reading about the Gettysburg Address and the Civil War.

This is what he wrote:

"One time when I was in the bathroom at school, Chaz, the person that hates me said, "Everybody hates black people." It made my heart stop beating. He really hurt my feelings and then he said to me, "Ask anybody!". I went back to class and felt like I was going to cry. When it was recess, I just stayed away from him."

I wish you could have heard Levi read this to you.....made me really stop and think about the persecution his race has experienced as well as millions of others. Not many of us will ever face what he will, simply because of the color of our skin. I have people say to us all the time, "Another baby? Wow, you know there will always be another phone call asking you to take another one. When will you stop?" We're not looking to "save" them all. But every child that becomes a part of our family will at least have the opportunity to be loved and with that, have the potential to touch countless lives. I liked what the caseworker at the adoption agency in Georgia said to us after we had signed the paperwork for Isaiah. She said, "Well, that's another one that Satan didn't get!!"

So many times we read emails about amazing stories and we wonder if they are really true.....this one is about an amazing little boy. A boy who doesn't understand what it means to be racist, but who will pick up his baby sister, that's not related by blood and give her love and kisses. A boy who laughs when someone in his class asks him if I am his step-mom because we don't "match", a boy who sees a child in need of a family and asks, "Mom, can we please adopt him???" How grateful I am for my children and their ability to teach me things daily.

That was from May 2007. There were many other times that I heard about terrible things that he would do or say to Levi. That boy is now his friend. They get to school early and read books to the younger children in the library before school starts. They are on the same football team. In fact the other day as I was waiting for him to finish up after practice, this boy walks over and says, "Here is your water bottle Levi. See you in the morning, right?" I had to reach up and shut my mouth as my jaw was hanging down. I asked Levi who that was and he told me. I started to say, "But....." and he said, "He's changed Mom, he's nice to me now." Levi has a way with people.