National Adoption Month

First, let me say Happy All Saint's Day!  What a wonderful day to celebrate those holy men and women who gave their lives to Christ.  I hope to follow in their footsteps!  And we're definitely celebrating today!



I wrote this post a year ago.  I'm amazed at the amount of hope I had.  I don't remember feeling that way, but I'm glad that I was hopeful.  It was not a few weeks later that we learned that we had been identified by a birth mom.  I'm glad I can look back and see my hope because sometimes I only remember the hopeless feeling and I forget my positive emotions as well.  So here goes again (I've editted a few parts, simply because a lot has changed in a year.  For the original post, unedited, go here.)  And everything I said was so true.


November is National Adoption Month!! So maybe during the month of November, say some extra prayers for all of those involved in the adoption process:

~ Birth moms who face the toughest and most important decision of their life and the life of their child

~ Case workers who deal with everything from the most touching to the saddest cases you can ever imagine

~ Foster parents who care for and give a temporary home to those waiting to be adopted

~ Adoptive parents who are in any and all stages of the adoption process

~ Those discerning adoption as a means of expanding their family

~ And most importantly for the Children involved in the process whether born or unborn, especially those who are waiting and are desperately longing for a forever home


This is fitting as November also marks the point, last year, at which we began to pursue adoption two years ago. It's hard to believe that two years have gone by, but that November (2009) was when we learned the devastating news that (more than likely) we will not have children of our own. It was also the month that we prayed constantly for guidance as to what God's plans were for our future family. It was those prayers that led us to Catholic Charities where we began our adoption process.

The last year two years were a total roller coaster for us. We have had some extreme highs and some extreme lows. However, I know now that I can look back and understand it all more clearly, at least I hope :-).All of the mountains of paperwork, money, time, effort, tears, smiles, and sweat were  blown away the moment we became parents.  I'm so grateful for the gift of Adoption and what it has meant for our family.  I love Anna more than words can describe.  She is 100% totally and completely our daughter and I can't even express how happy that makes me.

I am so thankful to her birthmom, R, for her courageous and selfless choice.  I thank her for taking such good care of her for those 10 months and for giving her a great start to life.  I thank her for choosing life for her daughter.  I thank her for choosing us to be Anna's parents.  It brings tears to my eyes thinking about what a wonderful gift R is to our family.  I hope that someday I can thank her personally.  For now, I hope she knows!

So to end my nostalgic post, here's a link to my Birthmom's Day Celebration post.  And here's the adoption song that I have listened to countless times since.  Happy National Adoption Month!  Say some extra prayers this month for all involved in the Adoption process!