Sunday Dinner

We just got back from a dinner with some great friends of ours from church. They have four adorable children, including one little guy named Michael, who is adopted. Everyone else in the family is caucasian, and Michael is black, so they are a racially blended family. It has always been a lot of fun for us to see how they interact with each other, how much they love and care for each other, and how race doesn't even factor in. The little guy is just as much a member of their family as any of their biological children.

We have always admired racially mixed families, especially because of the potentially awkward questions that so frequently come up. Even well-intentioned people can often hurt the feelings of these families through questions like "Who's baby is that?" or "Where did you get him?" The children are also often exposed to awkward questions, like having to convince their friends that those two people of a different race really are his parents. These extra hurdles don't seem to even slow most of these families down, though. Like our friends, almost all of these families manage to navigate these situations with grace and love.

We have had the honor to know several mixed race families, and they all confirm one thing most of all to us: families are defined by love and nothing else. The love of a family transcends all other boundaries, including race. If these families could share this understanding with the world at large, it would be a much better place.