Strange stories, strange coincidences

I want to share a strange story with you and how this has affected, and is still affecting me.

You have heard the story of the tragedy that occurred last summer when Miles Harrison left his son, Chase, in his car and went to work only to find him dead at the end of the day. . .

Miles and Carol Harrison adopted Chase from Russia. At the same time that we did. They are in their mid- to upper forties, just like us. They had to do all of the same paperwork we did. They had all of the same requirements pre- and post-adoption to follow. They returned home one week before us. They used the same pediatrician as us. The County confused us with them prior to the adoption because of paperwork we needed and they said we already had it. They have the same last name as us. And to cap it all off, their priest, Fr. Mike Kelly was killed on the road I take from our sitter's house to work and that I had travelled on less than an hour before he was hit by that falling tree (and, ironically, Fr. Kelly's brother also works with me at Loudoun Mutual).

To say that we were stunned when, on July 10th we heard the news of what had happened to Chase Harrison, would be an understatement. We were stunned beyond belief. We were in total disbelief. And then our phone began to ring. We received calls from the pediatrician, from friends who had forgotten what we had named our son, from reporters wanting and looking for a story (we were found through my blog), and we were called by the agency in Russia who works with our US agency--just checking on us, of course. I had a migraine that lasted a week.

I spent today reading, off and on, the article that was in the Washington Post magazine about children being left in the car to die. It focused, primarily, on Miles Harrison--why did his story become the national focus for this kind of tragedy??--while I listened to my son laugh and play outside with the neighbor kids; his daddy; his dogs. I couldn't help weeping off an on. I feel the Harrison's pain so deeply in my heart.

And yet, I look at my son and see his sweet face and the unconditional love that is already there and I weep again thinking, My God! We are so blessed!!! Thank you so much, God!!

Why us? Why not the other Harrison's?? Why does this sort of thing happen?? What will happen now to all of those children in Russia who probably won't get the chance at living in a home with a nice family????

All we can do is pray about it.

I just had to share all of that emotion and feeling. I hope you don't mind. Thank you for listening.

Stacy