On Rearing Two Families

My wife and I have the best marriage in the world. There have been other good marriages, but ours is the most nearly perfect that I’ve ever known. I could fill this article with reasons why, but this article is not primarily about our marriage but rearing two families. Before I can tell about the second family, I must tell about the first. It came the regular way. Married three years and three months when child number one comes. My father-in –law must have breathed a sigh of relief when nine months passed and no baby came. There was nothing “normal” about this child and 55 years later there is still nothing normal “about” him. Two years later child number two came. When he was handed to my wife, she immediately asked, “What is wrong with my baby?” Both of the doctors were in the room at the time. The scoffed at her. Later they told us his disease was hereditary. I insisted I was to be the one to make sure we had no more children.Our family-making days were over almost before they started.Six years later we adopted a daughter. Turned out to be the worst decision we ever made. My wife ached for more babies, but it was not to be or so it seemed. Fast forward 20 years. This adopted daughter presented us a baby boy. It was a good thing she acted as if he were born to us, because we reared him. Two years later, she repeated her actions. Yes, she gave birth to a second son by the same man. We conspired with the doctor to make sure it wouldn’t happen again. So at the age of 55 we got the babies my wife ached and prayed for. The old saying, “God works in mysterious ways, “proved to be true in these ways. Another saying goes, “Be careful what you pray for, you may just get it.” After all, she didn’t give God a time limit.