Oliver

placed February 29, 2008, adopted June 25, 2010

Psalm 68:4-6

Sing to God, sing praise to his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds —
his name is the LORD—
and rejoice before him.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.

God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

After 28 months of waiting, we stood in a cramped courtroom, a whole line of us. Oliver rode my hip, his little legs fumbling to find purchase either over or under my growing belly. Mr. Blandings stood at my right side with Manolin comfortably perched in the crook of his left elbow. Down the line, the other children stood, solemn in their Sunday best, a little nervous, not sure what was expected of them.

"Raise your right hand," said the clerk.

Five hands raised. This had been a family affair from the start; the older children had just as much a part to play in this moment as anyone.

The judge smiled. This was her lunch hour, after all. She had given up her break to sign four adoptions on this day--a lavish gift of the court system that slashed weeks from our wait time. She eyed Jo, Atticus, and Logan carefully, then beamed again.

"Is this your brother?" she asked.

"Yes, your honor," they all answered.

Someday, I will tear up at the weddings of my children. But on this day, the tears were for a different kind of union. "Is this your brother?" "Yes, your honor." Are there any sweeter words? He is my brother, not by blood or bone, but by everything that is important in this world.

God sets the lonely in families. He does not just give them parents, he does not simply offer them a roof over their heads. Instead, He hand picks a home in which to take root, a place where we are surrounded and known, where we are loved and cherished.

God sets the lonely in families. Today, Oli got his.