Family Reunion

Sunday afternoon we all piled into my grandma's truck and headed west for a family reunion. It was hosted by one of my mom's cousins at their lakefront home, and although it rained a bit we were able to all hang out outside. Elianna went swimming, we took a pontoon ride, and ate plate after plate of food. Every family has at least one family tree addict, and there were two at this party... complete with big posters tracing our family back to the 1800's! So, we got to sift through piles of old photos (including a very flattering one of my mother at age 10 wearing a pink shirt, brown skirt, and red tights - Yikes!), meet lots of new cousins, aunts, uncles, etc..., and hear stories of great-great grandparents fighting in the civil war, marrying war brides in World War I (one of them was brought back to America from Paris unable to speak English), and all the other cool family stories that probably are not even close to accurate but are fascinating nonetheless. (Although the French-speaking bride one is true... since she is still alive and was at the party!)

One especially bittersweet moment, though, was meeting my cousin who is fluent in Spanish. We brought some things from Colombia for her to translate, and it was a very emotional experience. We already had a rough translation, but sometimes it is better to get it from a couple different interpreters, since you can get a slightly different translation every time. Although we were glad to have her lend her expertise, it was difficult remembering the not-so-glamorous side of adoption: the birth mother making the decision to surrender her child. It is in these heart-wrenching moments that we are reminded that our immeasurable joy came at the cost of another's immeasurable pain and loss. There is no way to thank her for the gift she gave us, except by giving our daughter all the love and care she she hoped her baby would receive... and more.

After such a long and emotional day, we were all exhausted!!! We didn't get home till almost 11:00 at night, and we were all whipped. But, it was really a fun time, and I am glad we were able to have the experience.