Home in time for Thanksgiving

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A holiday to remember

By John Towriss
Special to CNN.com

Web posted: November 22, 2001

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- "Mr. Towriss, your children are now citizens of the United States of America. We have everything we need, you can go now. Oh, and, uh, congratulations."

The words from the U.S. immigration official in the Secondary Investigations office at Dulles International Airport could hardly have been more profound.

It was the cue I was looking for. For it was now time to bring an end to this beginning, time to start another chapter. And time to do what any father would do in my shoes -- re-unite my family. It's been a roller coaster ride of highs and lows but right now the emotional pitch is off the charts.

As the automatic doors from immigration to the arrival area split open I am slain by the perfect vision of my other two daughters. There's Emma, waving, screaming and bouncing up and down like a jumping bean, true to her personality that wears her emotions on her sleeve. Then there's our little gymnast, Mira, who is already scrambling over the 3-foot-high retaining fence and dashing in our direction, grinning from ear to ear. Soon we are lost in a complete meltdown of hugs, tears and new introductions. We haven't made it 20 feet from the door.

Did we make a scene? I'm sure of it. Did we care? What do you think?

On the ride home Emma and Mira have brought along their favorite books to read to the still shell-shocked Dara and Johnny. They are not sure what to make of these two hyperactive siblings but seem to like the attention. Then Mira begins to sing them songs and they drift off to sleep. I had no idea Mira's voice was so beautiful - a new discovery already in this expanded family. It may be the only time in my life that I will sit in Washington beltway traffic at rush hour with any measure of glee!

At home, a group of our friends have already gathered and decorated our mailbox with balloons and our kitchen with homemade signs. Cuddly Johnny is a favorite with Emma's little girlfriends while beautiful Dara is the one Carole's fellow mothers want to hold. We are warmed by the genuine display of care.

It's now the middle of the night and, not surprisingly, both our babies are up and will take a few days to adjust to the 11-hour time zone difference. It is a beautiful cloudless night but something is weighing on my heart. By adopting three children we have plucked three gleaming stars out of a firmament full of them. I feel a deep sadness for all that remain behind. In countless numbers of places at this very moment there are children who are also agitated in their sleep but have no one to hold them. The problem is so massive I can't help but feel that what Carole and I have done is so insignificant as to barely register a mark. It is a helpless feeling.

Some have portrayed Carole and I as saints or heroes. We feel like neither. We are an average couple who merely wanted more children and pursued our options. But, by finding the miracle of adoption, we have watched our hearts expand to a capacity far beyond what we ever could have understood before. And we have discovered a bottomless well of love that bursts forth with new compassion each time we reach out. Why did I ever avoid something that has changed me so thoroughly?

As dawn spreads across the sky and our four children fill the room with chatter, we are soon caught up in our first breakfast together. It is at times complete chaos yet a beautiful symphony to my ears. Soon family and friends will begin to arrive for a special Thanksgiving at our home. We keep inviting more and we're up to 16 at last count. I don't know how we'll get it all done but in these first precious moments of a new family, I don't care.

Carole summed it all up when she said, "John, we've always had this dream of many children in our hearts but today it is sitting at our kitchen table!"

She is so right.

A full report of the newly expanded family's first Thanksgiving together. More >>

John Towriss has been with CNN for 21 years, a journalist covering stories the world over. He is deputy bureau chief and director of news coverage in CNN's Washington bureau. Towriss can be reached at TOWRISS@aol.com


Proud parents Carole and John Towriss stand surrounded by all four of their children for the first time, upon their arrival at Dulles airport in Washington. Emma, bottom, holds her new brother, Johnny, while John's father, "Papa John," holds his new granddaughter, Dara, and Mira is craddled in her father's arms.


Dara and Johnny were welcomed to their new home by signs made by family and friends, hanging beneath the Thanksgiving wreath.