Sara Arkell (The Piano Gal) and Nadia Khristean joined their amazing talents to produce a beautiful music video covering Rachel Platten’s song “Better Place.” The awe-inspiring video conveys the powerful message that families are both important and extraordinary. The video was posted on The Piano Gal’s YouTube channel on Sunday, 17 July 2016. In the description, Sara writes, “It was a wonderful experience to be with the family in the video. Each one of them was so sweet and kind to Nadia and me. The mother, Christy, was INCREDIBLE, and there was an amazing spirit to their house!”
Featured in the video is Christy Jamison, the mother of 35 adopted Special Needs children and the eleven children who are currently living at home. Christie and her husband are the biological parents of two children. However, they felt that their family was not complete – someone was missing. So, they made the decision to adopt – 35 more children! The children come from various places including Israel, Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and other parts of the world.
It is apparent from watching the video that Christy has a deep and abiding love for each of her children. The glow on the faces of each of the children is evidence of that fact. Someone once penned a poem that perhaps best describes Christy’s feelings for her children:
I didn’t give you the gift of life,
But in my heart I know.
The love I feel is deep and real,
As if it had been so.
For us to have each other
Is like a dream come true.
No, I didn’t give you The gift of life,
Life gave me the gift of you.
According to the description of the video, Christy is not only passionate about her children learning and progressing, but she also encourages them to be an active part of the community. They go to the gym three times a week, cook family dinner together each night, and serve weekly at Deseret Industries. Their current family project is crocheting hats for refugees living in the community.
There is another quote that seems appropriate in describing the love that this family apparently has for each other. Someone has defined adoption as, “Our family is like a big beautiful patchwork quilt. Each of us is different yet stitched together by love.” There is no doubt after watching the video that this family all feel and believe that the world is a “Better Place” because they have each other.
