Vignettes and the lumps of life

Pronunciation: \vin-ˈyet, vēn-\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French vignete, from diminutive of vigne vine
Date: 1611

1: a running ornament (as of vine leaves, tendrils, and grapes) put on or just before a title page or at the beginning or end of a chapter; also : a small decorative design or picture so placed

2 a: a picture (as an engraving or photograph) that shades off gradually into the surrounding paper b: the pictorial part of a postage stamp design as distinguished from the frame and lettering

3 a: a short descriptive literary sketch b: a brief incident or scene (as in a play or movie)

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My friend Al has mentioned to me a few times that I need to get some Adoptive mommy radar going. When our families are together he'd mention 'did you see that mom with her asian daughter', me 'uh, no, I don't notice those things'. He's said a couple times that I'll develop that keen radar eventually.

Well, my time may have come. We live in a town where I believe adoption rates (international) are fairly high. Likely due to demographics I'm sure, afterall, over and over again I'll run into families with children who had a high likelihood of being adopted.

Scene 1 (months ago)
Gas station, I overheard several couples talking about families recently adopting from China and another from Russia. Also discussing a few couples who had gone to both countries last year. It was interesting conversation to overhear, it flowed as easily from them as if they were sharing recipes. That adoption, and bringing children into your life from another country, is just another aspect of normal life. It was awesome and made me proud for the choices we've made, that we have nothing to feel bad about or disappointed by. Our choice is natural.

Scene 2 (2 weeks ago)
I'm in the doctors waiting room and an elderly couple sits down next to me. Shortly after a young woman with 2 children, which might or might not have been adopted, but my guess is 'adopted'. The elderly man says to his wife, 'boy, those were the days'. She says "?". And he mentions, you know, when the kids were little and we took them to the doctors. He is seriously reminiscing and missing those days. She promptly responds "we?". He jokes and says, "ok, I mean 'you'". As I listened to them and admired the woman and her children, I thought to myself... our time is coming, little by little, our time is coming. Not only will we be that mom, some day we'll be the older couple too, reminiscing about Magpie's youth.

Scene 3 (yesterday)
Up at the asscrack of dawn on a Sunday, the norm. So I'm at the grocery store and cruising up and down the aisles... I come up behind a woman (white white white) and her daughter who is oh so asian. Adopted? who knows, but yup, it's likely. I still don't ask though. As I finished my grocery list I ran into them again and again. At checkout time I was waiting to be rung up and they got in line behind me. At every crossed path, at the checkout line, I couldn't help but nearly break into an all out grin and the lump in my throat, man it was larger than life. The thought that Magpie is eventually coming home, the thought that our time IS coming, the thought that she and I will likely be up at the asscrack of dawn together and strolling down the aisles with this other mom and daughter... priceless.

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The Vignettes of life aren't always bad, sometimes they are truly enlightening, as if before your eyes you can see your life about to unfold, the picture is brilliant. Simply brilliant.