The following story has been shared with us by a mother who was blessed beyond words by someone she didn’t know . . . someone who chose bravery and selflessness, and ultimately impacted an entire family, making them feel whole.
On June 22nd, 2015 I received a phone call that brought me to my knees. My daughter and I were in Colorado visiting my mother and step-father. It was a warm day, so we decided to visit the neighborhood pool. I took a break from swimming to check my phone. My husband was traveling on business and I wanted to see if he had safely arrived to his destination. I did have a missed call, but it wasn’t my husband, it was our adoption caseworker. This surprised me. She was away at a conference and I didn’t expect to hear from her for the rest of the week. I called her back and she answered immediately. She skipped all pleasantries and simply said… “Jessica are you sitting down?”
My husband and I had been going through the adoption process for almost 2 years. We were currently in the most difficult part of the process, the “hurry up and wait” stage. We had completed all the paperwork, home studies, classes, background checks, made our book and acquired all our letters of recommendation. Now all we could do was wait. Wait for a birth mother and/or a birth father to believe we were the right parents to raise their son or daughter. I’m not good at waiting. I’m a doer. A type A control freak even. Waiting was torture. Waiting allowed all the doubt to seep in and the questions would keep me up at night. “Why haven’t we been picked?” “What’s wrong with us?” “Did we focus on the right topics in our book?” “Are we too old?” “Are we too young?” At least with infertility treatments I had some control. Control to take more drugs, to try another cycle or to go to another doctor. But all the medical treatments in the world wouldn’t bring us another child and I had finally accepted that reality. Through adoption we would grow our family and I had to simply have faith.
My caseworker proceeded to explain that we had been match with a birth mother and a birth father! Both families wanted to meet us as soon as possible! The birth mother was due in a month! My caseworker asked if I wanted to know the sex of the baby. I remember yelling “of course” over the noise of children laughing and splashing in the water. “It’s a boy!” she yelled in response. I was already crying but this was the moment I fell to my knees. A little boy! I had dreams of holding a little boy in my arms. God had heard my prayers! I had just needed a little faith.
Three and half years later, fire trucks, airplanes, and transformers litter our house. Our son usually answers our questions with a T-Rex roar and a stomp. His infectious smile and dimples melt the heart of anyone he meets. Our son completes our family and our hearts. Adoption has blessed our family beyond our wildest dreams. What an amazing gift from above!
No doubt, this is a beautiful story. But the heroine of this story is someone who will remain unnamed. She likely experienced upset, fear and loneliness. She had a very hard decision to make. One that wouldn’t be easy, nor one that would be made quickly.
But this heroine chose the brave route. She chose the hard road, knowing that it was best for her – both while she carried this child for another family, and also for her future self, knowing that she had given the greatest gift possible to someone she had never met.
Her bravery – her gift – is celebrated here!
Facing a similar dilemma in your own life? The unplanned and unexpected has happened, and now you aren’t sure what to do. Let us help you find your inner #BRAVE and walk with you the entire time! You aren’t alone on this journey.
