Meet Hal

Hal Orland Van Wagenen was born June 22, 2016 in the Tay Ninh province of Vietnam. While his adoptive parents, Mark and Callie, were not there when he was born and were not even aware of the timing of his entrance into this world, they had been loving him, searching for him, and longing for him to be in their arms and in their family for nearly a decade. When they saw his picture, their heart and spirits were instantly reminded of the truth of his spiritual lineage - that he was theirs and they were his.

Hal is remembered and celebrated every day, every hour, and every moment for his infectious smile, incomparable giggle, and perfectly, naturally-sculpted unibrow. He is missed when the couch, table, and windows don’t need a daily wipe down. He is missed when he doesn’t slow-crawl into his mom and dad’s bed and under the covers for a morning snuggle.

He is missed when his super-hero big brother is in need of his sidekick. The light switches never again feel so eagerly and excitedly switched on and off and the kitchen drawers wonder at how their contents have remained intact for so long. But Hal is there at every family dance party and Disney karaoke session. He is there, in the space between every hug, in every spoonful of Chobani yogurt, in every hand stack after family prayer, and even every salted tear that aches for him is a reminder of Hal’s love of the ocean.