Claiming ceremony LONG

[Guest guest]

Most of you know that we have our friend living with us. turned 47

today. He was raised in an institution in Wisconsin and then at age 22 came to

live in our group home. When we left the home and moved to AZ we promised

that he could always come and visit us.. and for 21 years, he spent 2

weeks at Christmas with us every year. We had talked about him coming to live

with us, but he was settled with his same workshop and had a wonderful

housemother and we felt it would be more disruptive to move him. However, 2

years ago, the group home closed. They relocated all the clients. 's

brother asked for suggestions of where to send him and the housemother told him

that he belonged in Arizona. So, we got a call and responded yes without

hesitation. In August 2007 moved from Wisconsin to Arizona. Confused

but happy. It took us a while to get everything set up, but in January 2008 he

started work at a sheltered workshop that he LOVES! He has made friends there

and is on their bowling league. He plays VIP soccer with Maverick, he plays

Special Olympics baseball with the adults. He is involved in ushering and

greeting at our church and is a very loved person. Totally accepted by all.

We have a wall where we have 8 X 10's of all of our children hanging. We just

hung our 9th picture adding Logan whose adoption was finalized in November.

keeps commenting that his picture isn't up there.

The night after Logan's adoption, Vivianna, our 8 year old asked why we hadn't

adopted that day since HE had lived with us long enough. Then Chip, the

5 yr old got into the act and wanted to know why we couldn't adopt ... they

made sense... after all, he is going to live with us for ever and he has down

syndrome so he'll need to be with us all the time... yadda yadda yadda. I

felt that I had failed not only , but my children.

THEN, my visiting friend had an idea to have a ceremony and hang 's picture

on the wall... which we had planned on doing ANYWAY. So, today turned 47.

We had pizza, pop, cake...and a claiming ceremony. We all had to swear in and

make pledges and then he got his gift. The 8X 10 already in a frame. We all

cheered and high fived about a million times and then... we asked him where he

wanted the picture... and he said... " On the WALL! "

So now, we have 10 faces that we love all the same unconditionally on our wall.

keeps looking at that wall and smiling. The kids are at ease that

is OURS! And we all got cake and ice cream afterwards!