Another year and another holiday season are behind us. We ponder a new year and wonder what it holds, but do not pay as much attention to what has happened as we should. What things happened the past year that made us especially thankful?

That is why milestones are so important. We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, not because they are important in themselves, but because they remind us of what God has done for us. We look backwards and thank God for how we have grown in our understanding of Him and changed in our attitudes and what we do.

The same is true for our adopted family. We recognize the milestones of our adoption because they reveal how much we and our children have matured, and how the changes have redefined who we and our children are. We do not want to minimize the cost of these changes, but recalling them allows us to rejoice at the payoff for making them.

The adoption anniversary is a special time for families. It represents a landmark for uniting us. For many of us, this represents how God made us a family for the first time, bringing our children into our lives. Just as birth brings a precious life into the world, so adoption recognizes the value of each child and their life and their need for a supportive family. While it may be awkward for the adopted child to be reminded of their adoption at first (especially due to the loss of their birth parents), we need to make these occasions special in a way that shows how special they are to us. “Remember” is one of the most frequently used words in the Old Testament.

Praise is also a way we mark milestones. While we tend to focus on the physical growth of our children, as they mature, we need to tell them how much we appreciate them as people and how proud we are of the things that they have accomplished socially. We need to pay attention each day to how our children progress, and encourage them as they make wise choices and decisions. We want to enjoy how much they have grown spiritually as well. We can also rejoice in how their abilities are increasing as well.

This year we celebrated twenty-three years as an adoptive family, and this anniversary is just as significant to us as our marriage. Take time to pause and reflect on special occasions in your family! Next year you will see even more progress!