All I Really Want For Christmas

My mom recently asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I paused for a moment to think and the only thing I could say was families for our kids. Sure I could think of things that I cannot buy here and would appreciate, but none of them compare to knowing that our children have a family anticipating the day they can come spend the rest of their lives with their forever family.

Most of us can think back to our childhood and remember distinct memories of family.

How happy it made us when dad came home from work

How going out to dinner with the family was a special occasion

Fighting with our siblings

Playing games

Going shopping with mom

Building things with dad

Tickle fests

Spending nights at grandma’s house

Getting spoiled by grandparents

Big family get togethers

Parents attending sporting events, musical productions, or awards ceremonies

And so much more…

As an adult I have parents I can call for advice or lean on if I’m in a hard spot. I have siblings I can visit and talk to about whatever comes to mind. I’ve had a family the entire 25 years of my life and I can’t imagine not knowing what that is like.

Why do I deserve these memories more than these children in our care? I don’t. They deserve to have a family just as much as I do.

As I was thinking about this I remembered a song written by Steven Curtis Chapman entitled “All I Really Want (for Christmas)” Check it out here if you would like to hear it sunghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvDBGVoGKD0&feature=youtu.be.

Well I don't know if you remember me or not
I'm one of the kids they brought in from the home
I was the red-haired boy in an old green flannel shirt
You may not have seen me - I was standing off alone
I didn't come and talk to you, 'cause that's never worked before
And you'll prob'ly never see this letter anyway
But just in case there's something you can do to help me out
I'll ask you one more time

All I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose
Shoulders to ride on if I win
There's so much I could ask for
But there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas is a family

Well I guess I should go ahead and tell you now
If it's really true about that list you have
Somehow  I always seem to end up in a fight
But I'm really trying hard not to be bad
But maybe if I had a brother or a dad to wrestle with
Well, maybe they could teach me how to get along
And from everything I've heard
Sounds like the greatest gift on earth would be a mom

All I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose
Shoulders to ride on if I win
There's so much I could ask for
But there's just one thing I need

All I really want for Christmas

Is someone who'll be there
To sing me "Happy Birthday"
For the next 100 years
And it's OK if they're not perfect
Well, even if they're a little broken, that's alright
'Cause so am I

Well, I guess I should go
It's almost time for bed
And maybe next time I write you
I'll be at home

'Cause all I really want for Christmas
Is someone to tuck me in
Tell me I'll never be alone
Someone whose love will never end
Of all that I could ask for
Well, there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas
All I really want for Christmas is a family

Just a family

That's all I really need

“All I really want for Christmas is someone to tuck me in.” Remember those nights where someone would come in, tuck you in, maybe read a book or sing a song, give you a kiss and say goodnight? There are children around the world who desire that. Our kids get put to bed but it isn’t by a parent and it isn’t even the same person every night. All I really want for Christmas is them to have a family who can do this for them every night.

“A shoulder to cry on if I lose, Shoulders to ride on if I win.” We rejoice when our kids rejoice and cry when our kids cry, but at the end of the day we wish their parents were witnessing the joys and sorrows. All I really want for Christmas is for our children to have someone to call mom (and dad) who encourages them to do their best and loves them even when they don’t. We try to do this, but we have too many children to be the family they need.

“All I really want for Christmas is someone who will be there to sing me ‘Happy Birthday’ for the next 100 years.” These kids have different people at their birthday parties each year. Different friends, different caregivers, different visitors—how awesome would it be for them to celebrate with one family for the next 100 years. All I really want for Christmas is a family for our children to celebrate their birthday with for the next 100 years.

“And it’s okay if they’re not perfect. Well, even a little broken, that’s alright. ‘Cause so am I.” I hear all the time “I don’t think I could do it” “I’m not equipped for that” and so on. You will have rough patches but it will all be worth it. You will be stretched to your limits but you will grow as a family and won’t be able to imagine your life any differently. God will be there with you holding your hand through it all, let him lead you.

“Cause all I really want for Christmas is someone to tuck me in, tell me I’ll never be alone, someone whose love will never end.” These kids need families. I will be a broken record until all of our children have families because it is what they deserve. They need to know what forever love is. They need to know there is a mom and a dad out there who will never leave them. They need the consistency and intimacy of a family. All I really want for Christmas is to know our children will not be alone or forgotten as they grow older—for them to have one family whose love will never end.

God created families and it is his desire for every one of his children to be in a family. I know he has families chosen for ALL of our children. Even those that are “hard to match”.

We have 17 children who have varying special needs. Some will lead a normal life with only physical issues, some we often forget are labeled as such because the more you know them the less you see their difference, and some are more severe.

Many of these children have been waiting years to be matched with a family. They deserve to have all of the things mentioned above, just as much as I did or as a “typical developing” child does. They need advocates at the doctor’s office, they need a momma’s instinct to know when something is up, they need constant and consistent love, and they need a family.

How can you help me with my Christmas wish?

1)   Advocate for our children. Pray constantly for them to have families, tell everyone you know about them and their need for a family, ask us for more info to give out, share our blogs and pictures from COTP’s Facebook page, ask us personally for more ideas on how to do this, create your own idea on how to do this.

2)   Start the adoption process and seek out the hard to match children. I totally agree, the little baby girls are cute and having a child for the baby stage is desired, but there will always be a family for the little baby girl. Consider a child with cerebral palsy, ask for pictures or videos of a child so you can look past their diagnosis—see their smiles and the sparkle in their eyes, consider an older child, pray and ask God to show you who needs a family the most, ask yourself if you are adopting for the child or for yourself, consider a child with spina bifida, consider a child with hydrocephalus, consider a child who is undiagnosed, and pray through the whole thing.

3)   Donate to our children’s Reece’s Rainbow pages. Reece’s Rainbow is a website that helps children with various special needs find families. One can donate towards the child’s adoption before a child is matched or after. (Just to throw this out there we have one waiting child whose adoption expenses are almost paid for through this website.) Donating here may not directly help one of our children find a family but it will definitely bless the family that decides to bring them home.
Quint           Carlton           Sam Thomas          Kelton         Telvin         Judy             Brenden            Brekin          Lollie       Mederick            Zeke                                                                         Josiah          Peter         Anderson           Neil

4) Donate to Children of the Promise to help with their care while they wait for their forever families. Go here for more information on how to do that: http://childrenofthepromise.org/donate/.

*Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site. Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.