I never doubted the love my adoptive parents had for me. It was real. It was deep. It was secure. I thrived because of that love. I was so accepted as their daughter that no one could ever deflate my life or my position in the family among my cousins or other members of the family. I was proud of whom I was that whenever I was referred to as Sam and Viola’s adopted daughter my response was, Yes, I was chosen. Babies are born every day to unwed mothers and to couples who are married but don’t want a baby. It is a sad fact that unwanted and unloved babies are numerous in our society. Being the child of an unwed mother who gave me up for adoption never decreased my self worth. My biological mother performed the most unselfish act in the world by allowing me to have a secure home with loving parents because she wasn’t able to provide those important elements in my life. God arranged for there to be someone waiting in the wings to take up my life when my biological mother dropped it-someone to mold my childhood and help me be the person God planned for me to be. My God-given parents were an awesome gift. They left me a legacy, a huge bank of memories that no one can ever take from me. The value of my life, constantly validated by all of the warm remembrances of my growning up years, can never be diminished, in spite of rejection and disappointment. The memories are mine-they are mine to keep forever. And forever is a long, long time.