The adopted boy experiences the celebration of his first birthday
Charlotte, North Carolina — What might look like a home to you is much more spectacular to the boys inside. When Abraham first saw the house, he and his brother James said he thought it was "second heaven."
"You go through this before you go to big heaven, that's what I believe," Abraham told CBS News.
And he literally means that. Abraham and James are from Sierra Leone. They were homeless before going to an orphanage after being adopted by Joe and Jamie Walker last fall and finally to a new home near Charlotte, North Carolina.
Walkers say the boys have been astoundingly eye-opening since then.
"Everything we take for granted came back from the airport and pushed a button to open the main gate." Dad! ", Joe Walker told CBS News. rice field.
"Everything is magic for them," Jamie Walker added.
Children are constantly blown away, whether it's a gift from Santa Claus that appears on Christmas morning or something as mundane as a car wash.
But last month, the biggest surprise and the most serious reaction came about the family celebrating Abraham's 12th birthday. Records management does not work well in Sierra Leone, so the boy's age is not exactly known. When asked how he celebrated his birthday before adoption, Abraham said, "That would be a crazy question."
"I never celebrate them. I didn't know it was my birthday," he said.
So when the song started and his mom appeared with a birthday cake, Abraham was overwhelmed.
"When I saw the cake, I thought it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he said. "It's not just a birthday cake. It's a blessing cake."
And how fortunate it is! Once a year, friends and family meet to celebrate our existence. Most of us take it for granted, but it's no longer in this house.
Joe Walker reminds us that "we need to stop and be very grateful for what we have." To contact
On the Roador send a story idea Please send an email to the following address. OnTheRoad@cbsnews.com.
Steve Hartman has been a correspondent for CBS News since 1998 and has been a part-time correspondent for the past two years. rice field.
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