My Marvelous Life (part II of III)

(If you haven't read part I, go here first)

I was adopted as a baby. I don’t know the story of my birth mom, but considering how cute I was, it must had been extremely difficult for her to let me go for whatever reason.

My adoptive parents always wanted a big family but found themselves unable to have more children after having their first baby. Four years after having my oldest sister, they adopted my second oldest sister. Six longing years passed before they finally embraced me into their family. Imagine the joy that filled their hearts when I became the surprise Christmas present they had been hoping for all those years. It's incredible to realize I was the answer to their years of heartfelt prayers. So many friends of my parents would tell me how my mom would be so giddy to show me off to anyone that came by. This story always made me smile because “giddy” is not a word that was associated with my mother. She was very proper and refined. Of the billions of people on the earth the year I was born, what are the chances I’d land in one of the best homes on the entire planet?! I marvel about it still today! (All the math geeks reading this can put that statistic in the comments 😉).

The whole universe must have been waiting for this blessed event because as soon as I arrived at my destination, my mom unexpectedly got pregnant, and my younger sister joined our family a year and two weeks later. Do you know how low the statistics are for that happening? It seemed my life was destined to be full of miracles! Even more astonishing was that my mom gave birth to four more children after my younger sister.

I got to be a middle child, and in a way, also an oldest child, since I was the first of “the rest of the family.” Boredom was not much a part of my life for sure. My younger brothers liked me so much, they wanted to be around me as much as they could, even when I had friends over. One of my brothers would do just about anything to be my “buddy.” We did a lot of laughing in our home for sure!

You can imagine how busy my mom was caring for eight children! Of course I would help out and do chores to ease my mother’s burden. I remember offering more than once to babysit my younger siblings so my parents could have a date night.

My dad was very busy with his career and volunteering he did in our church, but he found time to be my first coach in everything – baseball, basketball and football, to start with. We had a basketball hoop in our yard and dad would often play “horse” with me and taught me how to do a jump-shot. Other days we’d grab our mitts and ball and play catch or just toss a football back and forth. Because of this extra support, when I’d play sports with the boys at school, I was usually one of the first ones picked to be on a team. My parents were my biggest fans and rarely missed a game all through my years – even after I was married.

In second grade I found out I was adopted. My parents did their best to explain why they waited to tell me, but a lot of what they said was kind of a blur since I was so shocked to find out this information. It took me many years of figuring things out, but I stuck with it, trusted, and over time, I was all the more convinced I was supposed to be part of this amazing family. I may not have looked like a Raisor (maiden name), but I certainly acted like one.

In high school I was loving every bit of playing on the high school volleyball and basketball teams and playing competitive fast-pitch softball in the summers. I joined school clubs and got as involved as I could in things I loved. I was chosen to go to Utah Business Week from my school and was also the Business Sterling Scholar runner up. Nothing was going to hold me back. I even returned to playing ball with the guys now that we were all over the awkward Jr. High years.

Towards the end of my high school tenure, I met a guy that became one of my best friends. We played on coed sports teams together, and he didn’t seem bothered by my skills; but then again, we were just pals. It was an interesting transition from high fives to holding hands with him, but we figured it out… then got married. I played college basketball for a few years and we both worked and enjoyed newlywed life.

We started a family on our timetable but was still before Ron finished his degree. It was a challenge juggling school, work and two little children before graduating with a bachelor’s degree but we rocked it! The skills we learned in budgeting and sacrificing served us over and over in our married life. Not only that, but we were able to lend an empathetic ear and helping hands to others we would see struggling.

Although my idea of raising a family included the same house and same job our entire married life, that’s not what reality brought. However, it was a gift I didn’t know I wanted or needed! We got to live in four different states and meet SO many incredible people everywhere we lived! I wouldn’t have the diversity or number of friends I do without all the different places we’ve lived. And the perks it brought to our kids have been an added bonus. Not only did they have the diversity and number of friends like their parents, but they also became very resilient and adaptable; and although we resided in the western United States in all our moves, they were still exposed to a variety of different lifestyles and subcultures in each different place. They learned to stand up for what they believed since each new move brought an audience that didn’t know what to expect of the new kids. Each child developed a more open mind earlier in life than I did from being exposed to more diversity than me.

Sometimes I just sit in awe at the incredible adventures and learning and knowledge I’ve gained in my life thus far.

High Five!

(Stay tuned for the "point" of the past two blog posts in the upcoming final installment of this series.)