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This is the time of year we honor our mothers, the ones that gave us life, and those that make life possible either biologically or through adoption. Adoption is perhaps publicly one of the most under-celebrated yet most admirable avenues of parenting. We were recently entrusted with the stories of three remarkable women and how adoption forever changed their lives. Strength and Sacrifice Karen Staples was born to a strong loving mother that married her biological father quite young. The navy took the small family to Guam and Hawaii to live while her father fulfilled his service. It was after they returned to Northwest Oklahoma the couple realized they had simply
8 | MAY 2021 | ENID MONTHLY
grown up a bit and drifted apart and decided to get a divorce when Karen was three years old. Karen lived with her mother, who took a job at Walker Electric, a business that was upstairs from a dance studio. It was at the dance studio Karen’s mother met the man she would marry when Karen was between four and five years old. She was the flower girl in the wedding, something people are more accustomed to seeing in today’s times; however, it was unique at the time. Karen was welcomed into the man’s extended family with open arms. It was soon after the wedding that her new stepdad decided he wanted to adopt Karen and solidify their family unit legally.
