Toni has always had a contagious smile. He has an easy laugh that can get him out of most anything. He is very creative and tries hard to be obedient. He has one of the biggest hearts I've ever known in a 5 y/o. He is someone whom I wish all would have the opportunity to meet and know how special he is.
This is his family (and some neighbors too). His dad is on the right next to Toni. Grandma is back middle, and step-mom is back left. He has 2 little sisters and one older sister.
I can not express how delighted Toni's dad is with him and being able to have him at home. He works as a guard at the orphanage where Toni lived the first 5 years of his life. He has known nothing else. Toni's dad has watched him grow up from birth but he never interacted with him; in the beginning, when he was asked if he could he was not allowed. He stopped asking and Toni stayed at the orphanage knowing from an early age that his dad worked 100 yards from where he lived.. I honestly had a hard time walking by the guard house without a feeling of disgust against this man who seemed to be the deadest of all deadbeat dads. But when he was approached about taking Toni home there was no hesitation. His response was, "Yes, when can we start?" From that moment on, there was no looking back. Since Toni's first day at home, neither him nor his dad desire anything else. When we got together to go swimming for Christmas, Toni had to be convinced that I would bring him back home and not take him to the orphanage. It was a big struggle for him. We all had to promise him several times that I would bring him back and then his dad had to carry him to the car. Once we picked up the other kids he relaxed and had fun. But he was ready to go back home.
There are a lot of reasons I can come up with as to why Toni was not allowed to live with his dad before; a lot of people I can blame. But that doesn't matter anymore. He has been restored unto his daddy. The redemption of a father and son. I know this makes the Father smile.
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