by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan and by Sophia Rae (Sullivan)
Sophia, August 2024
In 2016, my husband Chris and I married to a flurry of blended family stress and drama. Not only did our three daughters struggle to fit into a new blended family, but our extended family members also rebelled against our relationship at first. My two daughters stressed because a man had never lived or visited our house before because I decided a decade earlier that I was the problem, and I took myself out of the dating pool to focus on teaching and raising the girls. Chris’ daughter had spent her entire life being an only child. We all experienced growing pains, especially after our son Liam was born at the end of that year.
Liam, August 2024
We also made another family decision when we went from a family of six to a family of seven by adopting my oldest daughter’s best friend in 2019. Kasey became our daughter officially. She is amazing.
Kasey, August 2024
Unfortunately, our middle daughter, Sophia, began to have physical and mental health issues in the ninth grade, I promise I do not have enough time on this blog post to explain how many serious issues and problems that she caused us from age14 until age 18. Let’s just leave it at this: I am a blessed Mama that she even survived her high school years with her LIFE! She was on a crash course of bad choices and death, but by the grace of God and with unwavering love and support of her by our family (biological and church family), Sophia’s life has drastically turned around for good so that she is thriving as a young woman in her twenties.
This Sunday, September 15 was Chris’ birthday. In preparation for it last Friday, Sophia drove to the our office and typed a letter and printed it. I asked her what she was doing, and she told me that she was typing “Stopher’s” gift. She asked me for an envelope and drove home with her letter. Sunday morning, Sophia presented her gift to him at the same time that our other children gave him a card and a cookie jar filled with his favorite cookies. The letter is below:
Dear Stopher,
I hope this letter finds you well today on your 49th birthday. I just wanted to say that I am so grateful that you married my mother. I’m glad that me farting in front of you on the first day I met you didn’t scare you off as well. I am so thankful that you have helped raise me even though you were not the one to help create me. I wanted to say thank you for being there for me and putting up with everything that I have done, I know it wasn’t easy and I am forever grateful for that. I have put you and mom through hell, and I am so sorry. I know it hasn’t been easy trusting me or believing that I will get through life.
Remember that time, when Liam was a newborn and we were with Granny on vacation at the home that was on the St. Johns River, you and mom had sat me down and asked if I wanted to get adopted by you and I freaked out and declined the offer. Well, this is why I wrote, technically typed, this letter.
Christopher David Sullivan, if the offer still stands, I would love for you to adopt me. I really hope you do not decline my offer because I might actually cry. I have put a lot of thought into asking you for the past year, and I have concluded that I want you to adopt me.
I love you and happy 49th birthday!
Please check yes or no..
Sincerely,
The Middle Child
Both of them cried after reading this, and we all watched as Chris checked both “YES” boxes. Soon, Sophia will become a Sullivan. As I write this blog post, I cannot help but know in my heart that every difficulty and heartache was completely worth it. As soon as we contact our lawyer and go to court, all four of our five children will be legally Chris’ children, and I am the proudest Mama that has ever LIVED!! Praise the Lord for His provisions and for His blessings. We have watched Him make every crooked place straight! Sophia has been adopted into God’s family through her relationship with Jesus, and now she will be adopted into Chris’ family. She will enjoy full privileges as a daughter of Christ and of Chris Sullivan. God bless you all, my dearest readers.
This song has been my theme song for the entire writing of my last book on identity in Jesus, and it is definitely a theme sound for this post. I hope you love “Adoption Song” as much as I do. Here is a photograph of Chris with his GIRLS. I always find it funny when he tells the story that he never wanted kids. God’s got a hysterical sense of humor. God had other plans, and He has filled our quiver with children. Thank you, Father!
Sophia(my biological), Kasey(our adopted), Chris(DAD), Bailey(Chris’ biological), Anya(my biological)
The Aging English Major 