Reading Assignment Twenty Three

Well, Chrissy had her baby! It's a boy. She's settling into motherhood, and getting to know her son. In the early days of her son's life, she's watching him and feeding him. Christine has a nice, long maternity leave. But she also writes a blog everyday. Her ex, A, is not in contact with her. He isn't there for his son. Throughout her entire pregnancy, Christine has expressed a range of emotions perataining to A: sadness, anger, dissapointment, disbelief- she feels it all. Now that the baby is actually here, A still isn't. As Christine puts it, all he get is, "Just a daily paragraph." He won't know his son, he just get some words in a Monday-Friday blog. It made me sad to read that. I both can and cannot empathize. Although my parents are divorced, I have a wonderful father, and I get to see him all the time. I can talk to him anytime I want. Chrissy's son, JD, doesn't have that opportunity. He will not know his own father. I can't imagine what that must be like, to not know half of your family. One of my best friends is adopted. She's never met her birth parents, and all she has are a few facts and a shared name. That's it. She will not and cannot know anything until she turns eighteen and petions the court. She does, however, have the most amazing parents I know. They love her more than anything. She's always felt like a part of the family. Heck, her parents make me feel like part of the family. I guess what I'm trying to say is that blood may be thicker than water, but love is thicker than both. Family is does not just mean "people who I am biologically related to." It means friends and people who love us and who we love in return. It's about love. My friend is a part of her family; they love her. Chrissy and JD are a family. He may not have a father, but he's got a mom, and sometimes, that's enough. She loves him. And that love is enough.