Adoption. A very powerful word. So many unknowns. So many scenarios.
Definitely walking entirely on faith through this. Not blind, but trying to get educated & full of love & acceptance. It’s going to push all my own boundaries and it’s going to take strength that I don’t have on my own. This I know.
We’re reading books, doing online workshops, listening to webinars, reaching out to others who have gone through the adoption process {adoptive parents & adoptees}, have even attended a conference Together For Adoption. Trying to be a sponge & soak it all in. Learning from other adoptive parents is becoming the most valuable thing. One day, we’ll have our own journey & experiences to share, so others can learn. One day.
Well, one day is really now.
We’ve already been on this journey for a while. So many things have conspired to bring us to this stage. That’s part of the excitement, really, because we can see how far we’ve come in our faith and in our family. Six years ago, I would never have pictured things as they are. Between immense loss and struggles, and blessings that have overflowed, God continues to surprise us. And so, envisioning how the entire adoption process will go, is full of every feeling imaginable.
And already, we’ve been faced with hard choices. Heavy. Heartbreaking. And fast. Clearly reminders that we need to walk very closely with God during all of this.
And beyond.
We really had no idea what “adoption” was when we started out on this journey. We understood the importance, some of the immensity of what we were committing ourselves to and what we felt called to do. But there is just so much more to it than we could have known. My eyes and heart have been opened up so much in such a short time.
We have been asked “why” adoption? Because it’s the only option we ever felt called to expand our family. And as Christians, we have a responsibility to care for orphans.
We have been asked “why domestic adoption?” Because the more we have learned about open adoption, the more we are in support of it. Domestic adoption offers the possibility that our adopted child could remain connected to & in contact with their birth family. That’s not likely with an international adoption. Adopting a newborn is our heart’s desire & domestic adoption offers that possibility too.
I so badly want to share all that we’re going through, but it’s been hard to know where to even start.
So it starts here. With this post.
PS – If you’re interested in your own copy of the wonderful adoption print above, check out Mumaduke Designs on Etsy, run by fellow adoptive mama Zoe.