In honor of National Adoption Awareness Month (US) and National Adoption Week (UK + me), I am celebrating. On Monday, I celebrated adoptive parents. On Tuesday, I celebrated birthmothers.
Today, I celebrate the children of adoption.
I have been amazed by the number of people we know who were adopted into their families. As we share our developing adoption story with others, we have observed JOYFUL responses from those who said, "I was adopted" or "My brother/sister was adopted". We are SO honored to receive encouragement from adoptees. I recall that one of my high-school friends was adopted; it wasn't a weird thing, it was just a fact. She had parents just like I had parents, and our families were both upon a foundation of love. Another high-school friend had a younger sister who was adopted from an Asian country. They were such a joy-filled family.
We never really considered adopting for OUR family until we battled infertility. We assumed we would do what married people do, and that we'd get pregnant. We felt like "everyone else" had kids that way. We conveniently forgot HOW MANY families grow through adoption rather than reproduction. I am thankful now that God has called us to adopt, even if we had to deal with the infertility stuff (NOT FUN!).
We are planning to adopt an infant in a domestic adoption--this time. We are trying to be open to what God would have us do in this adoption and in the future. He may call us to pursue an international adoption, or perhaps an interracial adoption. He may burden our hearts to adopt an older child that is in the care of an orphan home (those still exist!!) or a state foster care system. Once our home study document is done, we could pursue any (or all) of these options, as God provides, but we take it one step at a time by His grace.
As usual, I invite comments from you, my friends & readers with regard to adoption. Do you remember the day you were adopted into your family, or did it happen when you were too young to remember? Do you remember the adoption of a sibling? Please feel free to share your thoughts about adoption and its effect on your life.
Nov 3, 2010
Nov 2, 2010
National Adoption Week - Tuesday
In honor of National Adoption Awareness Month (US) and National Adoption Week (UK + me), I am celebrating. On Monday, I celebrated adoptive parents.
Today, I celebrate the women and couples who have made adoption possible for families by permitting a family to adopt their biological child. My husband and I are traveling the road of adoption seeking to be adoptive parents; it is a big part of our lives, and we have shared this news with family and friends. In the midst of sharing our own journey, two women in our extended family have shared that they "gave up" a child as a young woman. While they are happy for us in our journey, the decision to forgo raising a child themselves at that point in their respective lives was a profoundly difficult one, and while they each felt they made the right decision for themselves and for the children, the memories of the past carry a great deal of emotion.
Even as I write this, I agonize over my word choices, because I do not want to choose hurtful words and diminish in any way the LOVE these women had and still have for their children, the RESPECT I have for them and their decision, the GRATITUDE I already feel toward my own child's birthmother, and the HONOR that it is for me to receive encouragement from these women and have their "stamp of approval" when they tell me that I'll be a great mom. I appreciate that they acknowledged limitations in their ability to personally be the parent they wanted their child to have at the time, and that they placed their trust in another couple to be the parents. One of these dear ladies has met her all-grown-up child and their parents and keeps in touch; the other hopes that her child is content with their adoptive family and might not search her out, for the emotional pain from that time of her life was very great.
As a prospective adoptive parent I feel a responsibility not only to my child but to his/her birthparents, especially the birthmother, who will be entrusting us with so great a treasure. May God enable me to prepare myself, prepare my home, be wise in decision-making, and to respect the need of my child's birthmother, whether it be communication from our family, or separation, or something inbetween. I think of my child's birthmother often, even though I do not yet know who she is, even though I might never even meet her. I pray for her even though I don't always know quite what to say.
Thank you, dear birthmothers, for choosing LIFE for your children and for enriching the lives of other families through adoption.
Today, I celebrate the women and couples who have made adoption possible for families by permitting a family to adopt their biological child. My husband and I are traveling the road of adoption seeking to be adoptive parents; it is a big part of our lives, and we have shared this news with family and friends. In the midst of sharing our own journey, two women in our extended family have shared that they "gave up" a child as a young woman. While they are happy for us in our journey, the decision to forgo raising a child themselves at that point in their respective lives was a profoundly difficult one, and while they each felt they made the right decision for themselves and for the children, the memories of the past carry a great deal of emotion.
Even as I write this, I agonize over my word choices, because I do not want to choose hurtful words and diminish in any way the LOVE these women had and still have for their children, the RESPECT I have for them and their decision, the GRATITUDE I already feel toward my own child's birthmother, and the HONOR that it is for me to receive encouragement from these women and have their "stamp of approval" when they tell me that I'll be a great mom. I appreciate that they acknowledged limitations in their ability to personally be the parent they wanted their child to have at the time, and that they placed their trust in another couple to be the parents. One of these dear ladies has met her all-grown-up child and their parents and keeps in touch; the other hopes that her child is content with their adoptive family and might not search her out, for the emotional pain from that time of her life was very great.
As a prospective adoptive parent I feel a responsibility not only to my child but to his/her birthparents, especially the birthmother, who will be entrusting us with so great a treasure. May God enable me to prepare myself, prepare my home, be wise in decision-making, and to respect the need of my child's birthmother, whether it be communication from our family, or separation, or something inbetween. I think of my child's birthmother often, even though I do not yet know who she is, even though I might never even meet her. I pray for her even though I don't always know quite what to say.
Thank you, dear birthmothers, for choosing LIFE for your children and for enriching the lives of other families through adoption.
Nov 1, 2010
National Adoption Week - Monday
In honor of National Adoption Week, I am celebrating.
Today I celebrate my friends who have added members to their family through the gift of adoption. I am particularly happy for (1) my friends whose son joined their family within the past two weeks, (2) friends whose son entered their family just over 2 months ago, (3) and friends who will be traveling to get their son from China within the next 2 months.
We are still waiting for word on our own child(ren) who will join our home through adoption. However, we wait with HOPE.
During our adoption journey, I have met many parents with children who were born into their families in LOVE, not through their biological bodies. I can think of 6 such familes, just in my church, and there are so many more colleagues, aquaintances, friends, and even strangers that have shared their stories with me and offered encouragement. I celebrate all of you today!!
If you don't mind sharing in comments, I (and other readers) would love for you to share something special about your children and their "gotcha day".
n.b. I heard on the radio this morning that it was National Adoption Week. Evidently this is true in the UK. In the US, November is Adoption Awareness Month, and National Adoption Day is on November 20. I shall celebrate this week nonetheless!
Today I celebrate my friends who have added members to their family through the gift of adoption. I am particularly happy for (1) my friends whose son joined their family within the past two weeks, (2) friends whose son entered their family just over 2 months ago, (3) and friends who will be traveling to get their son from China within the next 2 months.
We are still waiting for word on our own child(ren) who will join our home through adoption. However, we wait with HOPE.
During our adoption journey, I have met many parents with children who were born into their families in LOVE, not through their biological bodies. I can think of 6 such familes, just in my church, and there are so many more colleagues, aquaintances, friends, and even strangers that have shared their stories with me and offered encouragement. I celebrate all of you today!!
If you don't mind sharing in comments, I (and other readers) would love for you to share something special about your children and their "gotcha day".
n.b. I heard on the radio this morning that it was National Adoption Week. Evidently this is true in the UK. In the US, November is Adoption Awareness Month, and National Adoption Day is on November 20. I shall celebrate this week nonetheless!
Sep 3, 2010
It's RAINing, it's POURing
You know the old adage, "When it rains, it pours,"? Well, I really feel like it's pouring.
The clutter monster is alive and well in my living room, kitchen, and piano studio. I have a SMALL sense of relief that paper clutter in my bedroom is minimal, and it is non-existent in the dining room. Later this evening it will be time to get out the medication and load up some pill boxes for MIL and FIL, so the dining room will have some whirlwind moments shortly.
There is a 6-ft-long hole in our office/guestroom wall. A little pipe had to be fixed (it drains from the A/C). The water that dripped from this little pipe into the actual wall probably dripped for a month, maybe two, on and off; it took us that long to figure out what was going on! A moldy baseboard, wet drywall, and wet insulation were removed not quite 2 weeks ago, and wet carpet was untacked and folded back to reveal wet padding & moldy tack strips. The studs were wet & dark, and once they dried, we could see some mold. The mold man said last week that we have a mold issue, but it's a small one and it shouldn't be difficult to fix. The adjuster from our HO insurance said that it was a maintenance issue, not a "sudden & accidental loss", therefore we are totally on our own with mold remediation and repair expenses. I am NOT happy that we had to wait a week for an adjuster to come out, only to hear that they won't help. Unfortunately for the adjuster, this whole thing is very emotional for me, as I want our house to be PERFECTLY READY FOR A BABY, and it is not that way right now. I did a lot of crying this afternoon (while he was here and after he left). I am REALLY hoping to have all remediation and repairs DONE by Sept 24, but I don't know how exactly that's going to happen.
Wednesday was a frustrating day with the in-laws during their visit to the doctor, but I did keep my composure. I am still flabbergasted that my MIL actually LIED to her server in the dining room at the retirement home about her diabetes last week, just so she could get a "regular" dessert. What?!?!? Silver-lining is that she confessed (AFTER she ate it, mind you) because she didn't want to get the server in trouble. She laid this on us on Sunday. At the doctor, I asked her about a medication that she self-administers one evening a week, without our supervision, only to have her tell me that she quit using it 3 WEEKS AGO. ?!?!?!?!?! There was more; I'll spare you the long version, but I was definitely feeling the strain.
To top it off, about an hour ago I drove by the library to return some books, rolled down my window to drop them in the book drop, and upon pressing the UP button heard a crackling metal/glass sound. The window stayed down. Needless to say, I will be shopping around Tuesday to see how much it costs to get a regulator replaced these days.... I spent a half hour pulling the window most-of-the-way-up and jamming stuff in the edges to keep it from falling all the way down again.
[sigh]
I am thankful that there is no rain in the forecast this weekend.
I am thankful that David was not planning to take my car on his trip tomorrow to see his Noles play and that his plans are not disrupted.
I am thankful that loving friends have already invited me over to eat and watch the Gators.
I am thankful that we already passed our home study for the adoption.
I am thankful that I already know a mechanic (or 2!) that I trust.
I am thankful that MIL only has 1 DR appt in the coming week and I'll have time to get the car fixed.
I am thankful that MIL and FIL are in reasonably good health, physically, even though their mental health is in a certain state of decline.
I am thankful that PATIENCE is a fruit of the Spirit.
I am thankful that David earned extra money this summer and that some of it will be in his paycheck at the end of Sept, because we'll need it!!
I am thankful that the mold problem is small and can be fixed in a day or 2.
I am thankful that we will not be home-bound without electricity enduring the wind & rain of a giant hurricane (as we were on Labor Day weekend 2004).
I am thankful that in spite of the frustrations around me, I can depend on the provision and love of my Father God, who supplies my needs, even my need to vent through this blog.
Aug 31, 2010
Full Day!
It's 9:10, and I just finished the dishes. Looking back, it has been a full day!
6:30 - wake-up
7:00-7:30 walk with the hubby for exercise
8:00 DR appt with MIL
9:00 MIL back home
9:30-11:30 Ladies Bible Study!! (dropped off Rx for MIL on the way there)
11:30 errands at library, Home Depot & grocery store (picked up MIL's Rx on the way home)
2:00 put away groceries, start a load of laundry, accept a phone call from a fellow piano teacher
3:00 end phone call, start dishwasher, eat a little lunch, get ready for piano lessons
3:15-6:30 piano lessons (hubby took MIL's Rx to her - thank you!)
6:30 made dinner without using anything prepared from a box (unusual for me!!)
7:25 served steak dinner with smashed potatoes, mushrooms & onions, and steamed squash yum!
8:00 unload dishwasher & wash dinner dishes
9:10 write this blog!
The clothes are tumbling in the dryer, waiting for me to hang them up. Once they are done, I am off to BED. It HAS been a full day.
Imagining how much longer this list will be when I have a baby to care for... and still wanting to go there. God is gracious!
6:30 - wake-up
7:00-7:30 walk with the hubby for exercise
8:00 DR appt with MIL
9:00 MIL back home
9:30-11:30 Ladies Bible Study!! (dropped off Rx for MIL on the way there)
11:30 errands at library, Home Depot & grocery store (picked up MIL's Rx on the way home)
2:00 put away groceries, start a load of laundry, accept a phone call from a fellow piano teacher
3:00 end phone call, start dishwasher, eat a little lunch, get ready for piano lessons
3:15-6:30 piano lessons (hubby took MIL's Rx to her - thank you!)
6:30 made dinner without using anything prepared from a box (unusual for me!!)
7:25 served steak dinner with smashed potatoes, mushrooms & onions, and steamed squash yum!
8:00 unload dishwasher & wash dinner dishes
9:10 write this blog!
The clothes are tumbling in the dryer, waiting for me to hang them up. Once they are done, I am off to BED. It HAS been a full day.
Imagining how much longer this list will be when I have a baby to care for... and still wanting to go there. God is gracious!
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