FatherRon.com

This time of year, kids set up lemonade stands to make some extra
packet money. But nine-year-old Tristan Jacobsen is not your typical
summertime entrepreneur. He set up his stand to earn money for
something special: his adoption.
Tristan was abandoned when he was four by his birth mother,
whose life was a nightmare of drugs and sexual encounters with
strangers – often while Tristan was in the room. As a result, the nine-
year-old is coping with a number of emotional issues, including attention
deficit disorder and depression.
Donnie Davis and her husband have been caring for Tristan for the
past five years and want to legally adopt Tristan, but the legal fees, close
to $10,000, are prohibitively high.
So, wanting to help, Tristan began selling lemonade one weekend
in April.
And he sold a lot of lemonade. His stand attracted hundreds of
thirsty – and generous – customers when word spread of the third-
grader’s enterprise. The stand raised closed to $7,000; an online fund-
raiser brought in another $9,000.
Prior to the opening of Tristan’s stand, the Davis family had done
everything to save money for the adoption: cancelling a summer
vacation and getting cheaper cell phone and internet service. Donnie
even stopped getting her hair and nails done.
Donnie maintains that whether legally adopted or not, Tristan “is
absolutely our son. He is in our hearts…(the adoption) is more for
reassurance for him, knowing that he has his forever family and he has
our name”.
And the experience helped the struggling nine-year-old to see that
there are good people in the world.
The adoption should be finalized the end of the year.
Tristan’s lemonade stand should make all of us realize that the
most important and valuable things in our lives do not have price tags;
they are not stored in our all-ready bulging closets and stuffed attics and
basements. The real treasure of life is the selfless and affirming love
that is and of God, love that creates and embraces, affirms and consoles,
enriches and lifts up. The fullness of life is to seek that unique, simple
but profound love that is centered in gratitude to its Author and then
working to share that love with those with whom we are privileged to
journey through this life with.