I’ve just returned from nearly two weeks away from my computer, during which I taught workshops on blogging (of course!) and press release writing at the Mount Hermon (CA) Christian Writers’ Conference. Upon my arrival home, I quickly unpacked and repacked, and my hubby and I did a spring break mini getaway to a ritzy hotel for our 25th anniversary. Then, after one more quick unpack/repack, our entire family joined my dad and his new wife for Easter.

Today, after getting caught up on some work projects, I finally had the chance to read Marie’s posts in which she encourages us to extend agape love to our child and our child’s birth family. Agape love is the unconditional, selfless love that Christ modeled for us.

Agape love is the kind of love that’s in evidence even when we don’t feel particularly loving. It’s the kind of love we make a choice to bestow on others. I’ve seen a lot of agape in action during the past month:

My dad, widowed four years this month, rediscovered love and proposed to a lovely woman on Valentine’s Day. They married two weeks ago. When I asked him why they had such a short engagement, he commented, “Well, we aren’t getting any younger!” (he and his new bride, Rena, are 74 years old).

Our sons are delighted to “adopt” a new grandma. “Can I call Rena ‘Grandma?’” asked our 11-year-old. Rena is thrilled to be ‘grandma’ to four additional grandchildren, and was deeply touched that our children so willingly extended agape love to her and adopted her into our extended family (we’ve gotten pretty good at this ‘adoption’ thing over the years.

Our sons didn’t have the chance to visit with their birth families this Easter, but they did receive expressions of agape love from them. One birth grandma sent her yearly handmade, customized Easter baskets to both boys. They always love digging in to see what Grandma comes up with. This year, it was flip flops, yo-yos, chocolate, and a Styrofoam glider.

Our 14-year-old son’s birth mom, who is pregnant with her fourth child, sent an invitation to her daughter’s “Elmo” birthday party. We’re unable to attend that event, but we hope to see them the following weekend at our sons’ baseball tournament (which is in their town…how convenient).

At my writers’ conference last week, agape love was flowing all over the place – not in a weird way, but in that special way that happens when 500 like-minded people spend a week together, sharing worship, good food, and studying the craft of writing.

My journeys of the last two weeks have simultaneously exhausted and rejuvenated me. Love has a way of doing that.

Next week, my regularly scheduled feature, Ministry Monday, will return. If you have an adoption ministry you'd like me to feature, please e-mail me: christianadoptionblog@adoptionmail.com.