week the boys came home from Haiti. The name had stuck, and now they considered themselves “the brothers.”
Dayne sat next to Shawn and looked at the book. “What are your favorite animals?”
Shawn’s eyes lit up. “All of them. But the Bengal tiger and the cheetah and the elephant are my favorites. Did you know that a cheetah can run seventy miles an hour, and one time they clocked a cheetah running eighty yards in 2.25 seconds?”
Dayne raised his brow. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah, only they can’t run their top speeds for more than a hundred yards or they overheat.”
Justin put his hands on his hips. He had a Dr. Seuss book tucked under his arm. “Dayne doesn’t care about the cheetah.”
“Actually, I do.” His heart went out to Shawn. He was the oldest of the three adopted boys but easily the smallest. His love for animals was clearly a God-given gift, something the Flanigans obviously encouraged. Even if Shawn took a little razzing from his brothers. Dayne patted the cover of the animal book. “How about you and I take some time tomorrow, and you show me the best stuff?”
“Cool!” Shawn set the book on his nightstand. “I’ll tell you about the lion and his den and all about the life span of the sea turtle.”
Katy sat on the other bed facing Dayne and Shawn. She thumbed through the pages of the Dr. Seuss book and smiled. “I like this one.”
“Me too.” BJ scooted in and sat next to her.
Justin sat on the other side of Katy, and Ricky joined Dayne and Shawn.
Ricky swung his legs and sat at the edge of the mattress. “Show us the pictures, please.”
For a few seconds, Dayne felt as if ten years had passed by and these were their kids, this warm house their home. Would it be like this? The normalcy of a bedtime routine? Or would he be gone half the time filming movies? Once he fulfilled his current contract, the choice would be his. But if he didn’t make the decision sometime soon, his agent would sign him up for another six films, and there would be no getting out of it.
Katy turned to the first page and began to read. “‘The Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars. . . .’”
The story went on about the Star-Belly Sneetches feeling superior because of the stars on their bellies and how Sylvester McMonkey McBean, a clever charlatan, came through town and—for a price—offered the Plain-Belly Sneetches stars on their bellies.
Ricky laughed at the part where McBean offered to remove the stars from the Star-Belly Sneetches so they could still be different.
When the story ended, the Sneetches were broke, having run in and out of the star machines, but they were also wiser, and they made a decision. It no longer mattered whether a Sneetch had a star or not—they were all the same on the inside, and they all deserved to be viewed with respect.
“Know what it’s really about?” BJ brought his legs up under him and looked at Katy. “It’s about how people shouldn’t judge you on how you look.”
“Not the color of your skin or your eyes or your hair or if you have freckles.” Ricky touched his freckled face. “’Cause God made us all and we’re His kids—no matter how different we look.”
Dayne took in the scene, and he felt himself choke up. Here were four boys—three black, one white—all with different birth parents and backgrounds, each one with his own unique look. And yet clearly they’d heard this Dr. Seuss story many times before. Because the moral had been spelled out for them by their parents, and the boys believed it to their very core.
Katy closed the book and glanced at the little faces around the room. “You’re right. God made us all different, but He loves us the same.”
“God has the biggest box of crayons ever.” Justin laughed. “That’s what Mom says. He wouldn’t be a very creative God if He made everyone look alike.”
“Yeah.” BJ yawned, and the dawning of a
Dayne sat next to Shawn and looked at the book. “What are your favorite animals?”
Shawn’s eyes lit up. “All of them. But the Bengal tiger and the cheetah and the elephant are my favorites. Did you know that a cheetah can run seventy miles an hour, and one time they clocked a cheetah running eighty yards in 2.25 seconds?”
Dayne raised his brow. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah, only they can’t run their top speeds for more than a hundred yards or they overheat.”
Justin put his hands on his hips. He had a Dr. Seuss book tucked under his arm. “Dayne doesn’t care about the cheetah.”
“Actually, I do.” His heart went out to Shawn. He was the oldest of the three adopted boys but easily the smallest. His love for animals was clearly a God-given gift, something the Flanigans obviously encouraged. Even if Shawn took a little razzing from his brothers. Dayne patted the cover of the animal book. “How about you and I take some time tomorrow, and you show me the best stuff?”
“Cool!” Shawn set the book on his nightstand. “I’ll tell you about the lion and his den and all about the life span of the sea turtle.”
Katy sat on the other bed facing Dayne and Shawn. She thumbed through the pages of the Dr. Seuss book and smiled. “I like this one.”
“Me too.” BJ scooted in and sat next to her.
Justin sat on the other side of Katy, and Ricky joined Dayne and Shawn.
Ricky swung his legs and sat at the edge of the mattress. “Show us the pictures, please.”
For a few seconds, Dayne felt as if ten years had passed by and these were their kids, this warm house their home. Would it be like this? The normalcy of a bedtime routine? Or would he be gone half the time filming movies? Once he fulfilled his current contract, the choice would be his. But if he didn’t make the decision sometime soon, his agent would sign him up for another six films, and there would be no getting out of it.
Katy turned to the first page and began to read. “‘The Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars. . . .’”
The story went on about the Star-Belly Sneetches feeling superior because of the stars on their bellies and how Sylvester McMonkey McBean, a clever charlatan, came through town and—for a price—offered the Plain-Belly Sneetches stars on their bellies.
Ricky laughed at the part where McBean offered to remove the stars from the Star-Belly Sneetches so they could still be different.
When the story ended, the Sneetches were broke, having run in and out of the star machines, but they were also wiser, and they made a decision. It no longer mattered whether a Sneetch had a star or not—they were all the same on the inside, and they all deserved to be viewed with respect.
“Know what it’s really about?” BJ brought his legs up under him and looked at Katy. “It’s about how people shouldn’t judge you on how you look.”
“Not the color of your skin or your eyes or your hair or if you have freckles.” Ricky touched his freckled face. “’Cause God made us all and we’re His kids—no matter how different we look.”
Dayne took in the scene, and he felt himself choke up. Here were four boys—three black, one white—all with different birth parents and backgrounds, each one with his own unique look. And yet clearly they’d heard this Dr. Seuss story many times before. Because the moral had been spelled out for them by their parents, and the boys believed it to their very core.
Katy closed the book and glanced at the little faces around the room. “You’re right. God made us all different, but He loves us the same.”
“God has the biggest box of crayons ever.” Justin laughed. “That’s what Mom says. He wouldn’t be a very creative God if He made everyone look alike.”
“Yeah.” BJ yawned, and the dawning of a
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