Just Like Family
I was over on Ebeye yesterday for the WAM graduation (I'll do another post on that when I get the pictures uploaded) and ended up having to run to catch the boat back to Kwaj. I had left Fire with his grandmother and hadn't given myself enough time to get from her house to the dock. We just barely caught the boat but we didn't have time to say our usual long goodbyes.
When I got home, I started unpacking Fire's diaper bag and I found Bubu's keys in the bottom- she must have put them in there when we were hurrying and forgotten to get them out. I knew she would need them soon so D and I made the spontaneous decision that I should take them back to her that evening. I could have dropped them off at Jimma's work the next day but I didn't want them to worry about them for that long, so Sky and I ate our dinners quickly and headed out to catch the seven o'clock boat.
We actually ran into Bubu and Jimma on the street as we were walking to their house from the dock. They were so surprised to see us! Bubu was so glad to get her keys and said laughingly that Jimma had been mad at her because he'd had to break the lock so that they could get into their house. They were on their way to the store when we met them and they invited Sky and I to tag along.
We went to a store that had large bolts of fabric in the back and Bubu began to pick some out while I kept Sky entertained. Bubu started picking out buttons and trim and Jimma asked me if I knew what the fabric was for. "Clothes?" I said and he smiled and said, "Clothes for Monday".
Holy smokes, people, I almost started crying right then. We were at a store to buy fabric so that Bubu could make clothes for my family (her family!) to travel in. This might not sound like that big of a deal- I'm sure you can recognize the investment of time and money that this represents but this is so much more than that. Marshallese families will have matching dresses and shirts made for the family if they can afford it when they're going on a big trip and Bubu and Jimma are going to do that for us. Just like they would for anyone else in their family. I'm still so touched by this.
We are so lucky to have fallen in with this family. We had heard stories of birth families on Ebeye taking advantage of adoptive families, especially before the new laws, so we were always glad that we were adopting from Majuro, because it would give us a physical distance if we felt we needed it. This family doesn't want anything from us but time with the children- time with both children, even though Fire is the only one related by blood. And now they're making us traveling clothes so that everyone who sees us will know that we're a family. Wow.
When I got home, I started unpacking Fire's diaper bag and I found Bubu's keys in the bottom- she must have put them in there when we were hurrying and forgotten to get them out. I knew she would need them soon so D and I made the spontaneous decision that I should take them back to her that evening. I could have dropped them off at Jimma's work the next day but I didn't want them to worry about them for that long, so Sky and I ate our dinners quickly and headed out to catch the seven o'clock boat.
We actually ran into Bubu and Jimma on the street as we were walking to their house from the dock. They were so surprised to see us! Bubu was so glad to get her keys and said laughingly that Jimma had been mad at her because he'd had to break the lock so that they could get into their house. They were on their way to the store when we met them and they invited Sky and I to tag along.
We went to a store that had large bolts of fabric in the back and Bubu began to pick some out while I kept Sky entertained. Bubu started picking out buttons and trim and Jimma asked me if I knew what the fabric was for. "Clothes?" I said and he smiled and said, "Clothes for Monday".
Holy smokes, people, I almost started crying right then. We were at a store to buy fabric so that Bubu could make clothes for my family (her family!) to travel in. This might not sound like that big of a deal- I'm sure you can recognize the investment of time and money that this represents but this is so much more than that. Marshallese families will have matching dresses and shirts made for the family if they can afford it when they're going on a big trip and Bubu and Jimma are going to do that for us. Just like they would for anyone else in their family. I'm still so touched by this.
We are so lucky to have fallen in with this family. We had heard stories of birth families on Ebeye taking advantage of adoptive families, especially before the new laws, so we were always glad that we were adopting from Majuro, because it would give us a physical distance if we felt we needed it. This family doesn't want anything from us but time with the children- time with both children, even though Fire is the only one related by blood. And now they're making us traveling clothes so that everyone who sees us will know that we're a family. Wow.
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