When Gates Gets Home.

No one should grieve alone. No one should cry out in the night and remain alone. Gates needs us.

Here is a personal illustration of what's great about a family. One day when our toddling Son fell down while running through our backyard, his new Daddy threw himself onto the ground beside him. I watched with facination. Paul didn't pull the baby up and dust him off but he 'fell' to where he was. Our child looked over and instead of crying from the fall, he laughed. He realized he'd never fall alone again. He climbed up on Daddy's back and the two of them played on the ground until baby stood up and reached for Dad's hand. Our fellow families in adoption understand just how signifigant that interaction was! Paul is an outstanding father... and very wise for his young age:-) Kids who have never known a good day can't relate to being 'happy' in their new family environment but they sure can relate to having someone right there when the going is tough! It's the begining of trust.

By adopting Gates we will join the journey of a life already in progress. With total reliance on God and acceptance of our frightened child we will work for the day when he chooses to 'risk' trusting us. You see, his ability to receive our love and connect with his own emotions will begin a new era of hope in his life. That will be foundational in his ability to thrive and to one day enjoy children of his own as a confident Man after God's own heart!

For Paul and I, adoption comes naturally. Parenting is as much a part of who we are as it is what we do. May I share a few more thoughts with you?

As we prepare to finally bring Gates home we need those who surround and support our family to understand that we are preparing to welcome a hurting child. His initial responses and reactions will be very different than those of the child you will see emerge over the next two years and beyond. He is acquainted with fear, disappointment and loss. He is not familiar with attentive interaction, felt safety or touch unrelated to control or pain. Can you just imagine how that has affected his infancy to toddler to little boy development? Institutional conditions add a whole new range of challenges for him to over come.

We enthusiastically welcome all who would like to share and witness our joy at the airport the day Gates gets home. We welcome your offers of home cooked meals, sensitively short visits and phone calls as well.

However, public appearances will be very limited as we acclimate Gates to his home environment and establish a new routine for him. Such calm and structure will give his immediate family an opportunity to become familiar to him. Thanks for understanding. We are planning a big picnic bbq at Lakes Park after a bit to celebrate Gates together! I will also continue to keep you up to date on how he is doing here on the blog. We want you to be very involved. On that note, here are a few more details as they line up:

Chari will meet Paul and Gates in Los Angeles. They will have just gotten off of a 15+ hr flight followed by 4 hours or so in immigration lines at LAX. They will be jet lagged and dazed to say the least! Chari will help them through the grueling details of yet another flight and two more layovers. Her bag is already packed for her little brother so that she can render aid (& fresh clothing) where needed. She's got Daddy covered too and I cannot tell you how thrilled we are that when they get to the U.S. they will have Her there! She is capable, decisive and I know we can count on her to asess and address the needs of these weary travelers still a long way from home.

Thanks for standing with us this long! We don't know exactly what to expect when Gates gets home. What we're sure of though is the opportunity of a lifetime, to experience a very signifigant person who will never exist again in this world. Our Son, William Gates Rudd.