Ray's Visit - it went great
So last night Puppy and I took Ray to the airport. As Ray was packing his bags to go, Puppy and I wrote a letter for him to take home, and we wrote on the letter "Secret Message: For Ray's Eyes Only - You can't open until you are on the plane." After a brief conversation about what we could put in the letter Puppy dictated this simple message.....
"Thank you for coming and visiting us, Ray. We will miss you when you go."
After saying those words he snuggled up real close to me and his eyes filled with tears. He made his little scrunched up face and I could see he was struggling to say goodbye.
After an hour in the car we got to the airport. I could tell Puppy was really sad, but he was trying to keep it together. It was too much for him to get out of the car to give Ray a hug goodbye so he hugged him from his car seat. As I got out Ray's bags Puppy said "Where's the letter? Where's the letter? Open in now, open it now."
So Ray did and thanked him for it and gave him another hug. As we drove away from the airport Puppy cried for 10 minutes straight then covered himself with his blanket for another 15. After a stop at a gas station for a potty break and a granola bar snack he was doing better.
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Why am I a fan of open adoption? Because Puppy knows Ray and considers him family. I saw Ray watch Puppy as I was at practice for 3 hours and all they did was wrestle, play with the football pads, and have a great time. Puppy got to take Ray fully into his world of legos, swing sets, sand boxes, trains, and cars. They laughed, hugged, and played non-stop for 3 days straight and I got to be with them and share in the joy.
I came home from practice the second day around 1pm and they were both still in their jammies trying to make a lego crane. Ray kept rubbing Puppy's long blond hairy head and Puppy just soaked up all the attention.
Why do I believe in Open Adoption? Ray and I talked as we walked Puppy to the park with the fountain that Open Adoption doesn't take away the pain of adoption, but it gives it the air it needs to breathe and heal. Family looks different, but family is still family.
Thank you Ray for a great 3 days.
4 comments:
That post made me cry. It was well written and thought provoking. Thank you so much for sharing.
I just discovered your blog via Hero's. I love hearing about it from your perspective. It was so touching to hear about the visit and the departure. I got teary about Puppy's handling Ray leaving. Thank you for sharing. I mentioned your blog on mine, FYI.
http://hopingforanotherlittleone.blogspot.com/2009/08/open-adoption.html
@ Megan and Socialwkr24/7 -- Thanks you guys. It helps to know that what I write is good for others to hear. It encourages me to write more.
@jacksmom -- Welcome and thanks for reading!! Yeah, Hero's blog is amazing. I read it often. :-)
Thanks for the link.
so glad your visit went so well. I love what you say about openness giving adoption the room to breathe. love that, thanks.
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