Coming Out Of The Closet

I offered a major revelation to my family over the weekend. It wasn't easy. One never knows how certain people are going to react to certain news. It was with great trepidation I shared my secret. I was trembling, even as I said it. The reaction I got was not what I expected. It was beyond anything I'd imagined. I prepared for confusion. Jaw dropping stares. And questions. So many questions for which I had answers at the ready.

But then...joy. Overwhelming jubilation. Uncontainable excitement. Everyone was happy. I was happy.

I then went and blew something big.

Now get your minds out of the gutter. I certainly don't know how you came to that conclusion, but pay attention, because this really is a serious topic.

For sometime now (14 years), Mrs. Sarcasm and I have been the solitary, childless couple who always said we didn't want kids. And we never did. Never liked kids all that much. Part of the problem, I suppose, is that every kid we've ever met has been someone else's kid. Well, people change. And while I still don't like other people's kids, I have every expectation of liking my own very much. And so I announce today, our plans to adopt a baby from South Korea.

Our reasons, and our journey to adoption, can wait for another post. The point of this is that we are now telling the world. Or rather, we've told my mother, so you may have already heard by now.

As Mother's Day gifts go, this news was a pretty big hit. I'll probably never top it. Which makes it that much more bittersweet. You see, I made a pretty big blunder too.

Since deciding to build a family, we've faced one challenge after another. Setbacks seem to be the norm. So, as Mother's Day approached, I wasn't sure what to do about it. Here we have this fantastic future ahead, but the present still seems stuck in the same rut as we faced yet another reminder of what we don't yet have.

We have yet to meet our child. Maybe he or she hasn't even been born yet. Perhaps not even conceived. Yet there is an undeniable tug on our hearts. Already an unbreakable bond that will only strengthen.

So, I offer a public apology to my one true love. I blew it. I thought ignoring the present might ease the past. But I should have focused on the future. As we've gone on this journey, a few things have become clear.

I've known for a long time, biology is overrated. My wife's two brother's are adopted. They couldn't be more naturally her siblings. Family is what we make it. And it doesn't matter if your child looks like you. They will love you because you are the one who patches up their knees. They will love you because you make cookies on a rainy day. They will snuggle under a blanket while you read from Dr. Seuss. When they fall in love for the first time, they might not tell you, but when their heart gets broken, you'll be there to mend it. You will laugh and cry and so many other things your kids won't even know. And there's no one else who will do it like you.

You will be the best mom--the only mom--they will ever know.

And I will love you for it more than you will ever know.