043 - Happy Father's Day

Be the Hero

Title: Happy Father’s Day

Intro Music

WELCOME MESSAGE: HELLO EVERYONE AND WELCOME TO, “BE THE HERO”. I’M YOUR HOST, TONY HOOKER AND THIS IS A PODCAST DEDICATED TO HELPING YOU BECOME A PERSON OF ACTION SO YOU CAN FIND YOUR PASSION AND BECOME THE HERO OF YOUR OWN STORY. LET’S GET STARTED…

Main Message: Hello my fellow heroes, Happy Father’s Day and welcome to episode 43. This week’s episode is a salute to fathers! In a bit of a change of pace, I’m going to read the story of my adoption, which is also the story of the day my Dad became my father. At the end of the reading we’ll simply say goodbye and we’ll see you next week. Here is “The Long Wait”.

The day finally came that we were to become parents. It had been a long four-year wait. But the day came at last. Our social worker called and said she would like to come over and talk with us. She said she had some good news.

As we waited for her to get to the house, my wife and I talked and wondered if we were getting a baby or older child. We decided that we would only adopt a child up to four years old or two children under four.

The doorbell rang and I answered, asking Miss Garwood, our social worker, to come in. She had her arms full of paperwork. With an ear-to-ear smile on her face, she sat back in a rocking chair. As she relaxed she said, “You won’t believe this, but we have three little ones for you.”

Speechless, my wife and I just looked at each other. Completely forgetting about the decision that we had made earlier, we asked, “When can we get them? What do we do? Where do we go?” Miss Garwood said, “Wait a minute! You don’t even know what they look like or anything about them. Melinda is five years old, Sheldon is four, and Anthony’s two. They all have blonde hair and blue eyes.” She said they had been in foster homes since Anthony was two months old. The mother just abandoned them at the local welfare office and took off.

All we wanted to know was when we could get them. Miss Garwood gave us the date, time, and place that we could see them. We had another week to wait out.

The week passed slowly as we made preparations throughout the house. Some friends and even people we didn’t know gave us toys and clothes for the kids. Christmas was only a few days away and every little bit helped.

Now it was the day we were to make our trip to the northern part of the state to meet the children. We got up early and dressed up, not knowing what the day was going to bring, or how it was going to end. We decided to eat breakfast on the road in order to make better time.

After about four hours on the road we finally arrived in the small town where we were to meet another social worker. We found the welfare office which looked like something out of the Civil War era. It was an old two-story brick building. After we entered the building we just stood there inside the door. There was a damp, musty odor in the air. There wasn’t a directory so we didn’t know where to go. We took a chance and went up a flight of brown wooden stairs.

We were in the right place. We found an information office where we gave our name and the receptionist said someone would be with us in a few minutes. After a short while a lady walked up to us and told us that she was the social worker there. We followed her into her office where she proceeded to explain further adoption procedures.

At last she asked if we were ready to meet the children. By that time we were so anxious, we could hardly sit still. She said the kids were at their foster home and she would go get them. She would meet us at a nearby shopping center after she picked the kids up. The meeting had to be somewhat secretive because the grandparents still lived in town.

The social worker went for the kids and my wife and I went to the shopping center to wait. We found a drug store where we bought a few goodies for the kids, just to break the ice.

We were sitting in our car when we saw the social worker drive up. There were three blonde heads popping up over the back seat. My wife and I walked over to the car and saw three wild-eyed characters dressed in rags. They were bubbling over with excitement and so were we. They were precious, but pitiful too. Their clothes were ragged, dirty, and too small for them. Their shoes were worn out and too small. All three had an odor, which indicated that it had been some time since their last bath. But nevertheless, our hearts went out for them.

At first they were shy, but after a few lifesavers they loosened up a bit. Each one had a nickname which didn’t agree with them at all; Curley, Lendy, and Andy. But there was a closeness between them that was unexplainable. It was clearly visible that they depended on and really loved each other. And the two boys looked upon their older sister as their only leader. Even though she was only five years old, she had a protectiveness of a mother over her young.

The social worker said we could be alone with them but it would be better if we took them to a nearby town. So off we went to get lunch and shop around a little. I don’t know who was excited the most, my wife and I, or the kids.

The kids wanted hamburgers and fries, so where else could we go but McDonalds. After we settled down to eat, it didn’t take long to see what kind of manners they had. They didn’t have any. They dug in with both hands. They actually looked like they were starved.

After lunch we went to a department store where we found a toy department. I don’t know how long it had been since they had seen new toys, if ever, but they were simply fascinated. It appeared as if their little minds just couldn’t comprehend so many toys in one place at one time. Just seeing the abundance of excitement on their faces was a treat in itself. And after browsing a while we took off for a park, which the social worker told us about.

The park turned out to be an absolute ball. The kids went wild with excitement. We all got out of the car and we just turned them loose. They went from ride to ride. The thrill of watching those three running and screaming with joy was something else.

After an exhausting afternoon, we called the social worker and she said she would come to the park and meet us. After she arrived, we talked some more and she asked us what we thought. Without any hesitation we said we would like to take them home with us right then. Then she asked the kids if they would like to have a new Mommy and Daddy. Immediately they answered yes. So she agreed to let us take them home with us, although it wasn’t at all customary. She said she would take the kids back to their foster home to get their belongings and return shortly.

About forty-five minutes went by and the social worker returned with the three and their few clothes and toys. She opened the trunk of her car for me to get their stuff and I was astonished. There were three or four paper bags full of what appeared to be junk, but it was all the poor kids had. So after getting my car packed and everybody said their good-byes, we were off for home. We were even more excited than ever. Those kids must have asked three million questions on the way home that night.

It’s been about three years now since we brought the kids home with us. After a trial period consisting of doctor’s examinations, the local social worker’s visits, and paperwork, the kids are officially ours, new birth certificates, names, and all.

With God’s help, we have become a family. Everything has worked out beautifully. It seems like they’ve always been with us. We love them dearly, and they love us, their new Mommy and Daddy.

Closing Message: Thank you so much for listening today. I look forward to being with you again next week. In the meantime if you enjoyed this podcast, please take time to rate it and leave comments. I would also encourage you to hit the subscribe button so you will always receive the latest episode of be the hero when it comes out. You can provide your feedback by sending an email to [e-mail]. We’ll see you again next week for another episode of “Be the Hero”.

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