Grafted in...

My dearest Levi,

When I think you, one word jumps out - Determined. I see it in you every day. You are determined to get through the safety locks (ok...they are rubber bands!) on the kitchen cupboards. You know that whatever is inside is worth the extra lockdown, so it must be good. When I put you down on the floor, you head right for the stairs to see if the gate is up. (And you will usually find that it is not!) But, interestingly, you will not go up them until I am looking at you. You wait, ever so slightly to make sure that I am watching you do what you know you shouldn't. It's as if you want to challenge me to stop you before you reach the top. You are amazing. I pray every day that we can help you foster that gift of determination as you grow in faith and statue. We pray that you will be determined to stand up for what is right, that you will be determined to love deeply, and you will be determined to follow your God-given passions.

You bring utter joy to our lives. You are so happy, so full of energy and life, and your personality has been evident since the day we met you. There is something so sweet in hearing you call me "mama" and Daddy "dada". It is a daily reminder that family goes beyond blood and heredity. We feel amazingly connected to you...and we love you more than we could ever express on paper.

Today, life with you is blissful and easy. You don't see that you are different from us. You know nothing of the challenges you will face down the road. To be honest, we are cherishing these moments because we know that they can't and won't last forever. When the time comes that you do notice these things, we want to give you full freedom to explore you identity, to discover what it means to be Korean, to be American, to be adopted. We know that we, as parents, are bound to make many, many mistakes, but we hope beyond all hope that you will know how much we love you. We pray for you each day, that God would give you wisdom.

Someone wrote this verse in a card that they gave us when you arrived. I'm not sure why, but it speaks to me. Ephesians 2:19-20 "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone". We know that this story of this amazingly beautiful and happy baby being grafted into our family is our story. My sweet son, we can't wait to help you build your life - story. And to help you discover who you were meant to be. We thank God for that privilege.

We love you always,
Mama