25 years ago tomorrow . . .

. . . I finally became a sister.
(after being an only child for almost 15 years)

25 years ago --- my parents and I, along with our pastor and his wife and family, set out on a road trip to Newark, New Jersey to meet my brothers at the airport.  They were being escorted from Korea and we were so excited to finally meet them (after looking at their pictures and waiting for almost a year).  Little did we know the adventure that was about to begin . . .

I remember watching them walk down the hallway with their escort - two precious little boys who couldn't speak a word of English.  Their hair was matted down to their heads, and we would later discover why - they were both loaded up with layers of clothing, including pajamas, warm clothes (including wool sweaters) and heavy winter coats, which they must have worn during the entire flight. 

Just a short while after leaving the airport, we went to turn into a Dunkin' Donuts, when our car was hit on the left rear side.  The impact threw the car across several lanes of traffic, right into the parking lot of the donut shop.  Thankfully, we were disobeying the seatbelt laws - mom was holding Jonathan on her lap up front, and I was holding David in the middle of the back seat.  The side of the car smashed in far enough to hit my left leg and bruise it pretty badly.  The sleeve of David's brand new coat was ripped and full of glass.  He had a cut on his head that required stitches (in the ambulance).  Can you imagine what those little guys (at 5 and 7 years of age) must have been thinking?  Welcome to America!  The 5 of us piled into the back seat of our pastor's car, while his family of 4 squeezed up front for the several hour drive home.  Inconvenient; but it's the stuff memories are made of.

 

It's been an interesting 25 years, to be sure!  This evening, our family gathered together to celebrate the last 25 years.  We looked at lots of pictures, and took a lot of new ones.  We ate food, we laughed, and we talked.  We reminisced with our pastor and his wife.  We enjoyed each others' company.

The positive adoption experience of my brothers is what encouraged me, many years later, to adopt.  My family is what it is today thanks, in great part, to my brothers.  We don't always see eye to eye, but I hope they know that I love them!

 

Happy Anniversary!
Here's to another 25 years!