About Babies

A Special Story
By Bob Johnson

Chapter Three of Ecclesiastes tells us there is a season and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven. I think we all have a internal clock--a moving of our spirit that tells us--"it's time". Often that clock is preset--like waking minutes before the alarm clock sounds when we are leaving on vacation--or the early rising on Christmas morning when we were kids. Anticipation? Excitement?, maybe. Nevertheless, we all mark the special moments in our lives by this thing called "time".

Bob and Judi Johnson, 1964

Like most newly married couples my wife and I spent the first few years of our marriage adjusting the changes that marriage requires--like accepting the fact that its ok if your spouse squeezes the toothpaste tube from the top instead of the bottom like we "normal" people do. And that all important act for us guys--put the toilet seat down. You know--important stuff.

We listened to our internal clock when it was time to start a family. We had been blessed in so many ways but it seemed that pregnancy was not to be one of those blessings. Little did we know The Lord had an even greater blessing in store for us.

Working with our local Social Services Agency, we were told of a young couple who had conceived a child and after lots of soul searching, the decision was made to place the child for adoption. Following what seemed to be an endless barrage of interviews and in home visits, we were told we seemed to be a good prospective home for the yet unborn child. Needless to say, we counted the days till the baby's arrival (that "time" thing again).

In June of 1969, on "the day", we were informed we had a daughter. Five pounds, twelve ounces. A beautiful, healthy girl. God is good!  We had spent lots of evenings deciding on a name. Who was this tiny person to be? Since we have a Scandinavian surname we decided on the name Kristin for the Scandinavian word for Christian. It has proven to be the perfect name. Kristin has brought a indescribable joy to our lives.

Baby Kristin

A few years later we were blessed with a second daughter through adoption. Michelle came into our lives--another real blessing.

Baby Michelle

No, they were not perfect--far from it. There were many times I threatened to put them in a barrel, nail the lid shut, and feed them through the bung until they were 21. In other words--just normal kids.

We wanted to spare our girls from the hurt that children often cause each other and decided to make them aware of the fact they were adopted, or loved twice. They both loved and wanted to hear over and over a two volume set of books entitled "The Family That Grew", an excellent book that impressed on them just how special they were, and addressed the subject of adoption.

As composition manager at our local newspaper, I daily read the entire paper, checking for errors or libelous claims or statements. This included the classified ads. One day I read a small ad that simply said: "Wish to meet Lisa Marie, the daughter I placed for adoption on June 5, 1969" followed by a phone number. Since that was Kristin's birthdate the ad caught my eye.

Later that evening I mentioned the ad to Kristin who was now 21 years old. She read the ad and dismissed it with: "not likely me". A couple of days later she asked her mom and I how we felt about her making a call to that number. Since all children are only on loan to us and like fledglings, at some point leave the nest, we knew this was something Kristin needed to do, and that we needed to be an encouragement to her. The call was made and in a matter of minutes it was obvious she had connected with her birth mom--someone who has become a very special part of our lives.

Her birth mom's name is Susan and at the time she was living in a rural section of Virginia. With Susan's help Kristin was able to locate her birth dad who was living in central Florida. It was uncanny how alike Kristin and Susan were/are. Their mannerisms, their love of nature, both are blessed with beautiful singing voices and a gentle spirit. When we first met David (Kristin's birth dad), the connection was obvious, the blue eyes, their shoulder length blonde hair--yes, THEIR shoulder length blonde hair--I liked him right away. A good guy!!

Kristin visiting her birth parents,
 Susan and David Oshel, 2005

When Kristin was very young she, like other girls her age, played with baby dolls. Kristin put a different twist on her playing however. She pretended to be delivering the babies from their mom. Imagine our surprise when we met Susan and discovered she was a midwife.

We know God works in mysterious ways, yet, when we see Him working we often say: "Wow--can you imagine that?". We had a "wow" moment three years ago when after so many years, The Lord brought David and Susan back into each others lives and they became husband and wife. Now I don't know if Kristin ever prayed for that to happen--but I'm sure that if she didn't, God knew the desire of her heart and honored that desire.

Just as we have been blessed, Kristin has been blessed as well. Four loving parents, more grandparents to spoil her than anyone deserves, and a loving family that extends far and wide.  Michelle met her birth mother and other siblings as well. 

Today my wife and I certainly have been blessed with a full quiver. Two daughters, two sons in law, and nine grandchildren. We love them all dearly. God has been good.

We are so proud of you Kristin and we love you bunches. You will never be too old to be our "Little Pooty"

Bob and Judi Johnson

Note From The Editor:  For those who don't know, the first baby Bob and Judi adopted is our International Director, Kristin Schuhmann.  Kristin's birth mother is myself, Susan Oshel, our Director of Midwifery Studies and Newsletter Editor.  We should write a book! This story is still growing and is a quilt that spans time and ages.  Thank-you, Bob, for your glimpse into "our" special story.   You and Judi are a blessing in my life!  I couldn't have imagined a more perfect couple to receive and care for baby Kristin.  And the blessing of reuniting and finding our lives being intertwined is a gift grander than grand.... Our family grows!
Blessings and Love, Susan