A Little Touch of Truth

May I be honest with you for a minute? I have to admit, I have not seen this topic discussed a lot on other adoption blogs, but it is a subject that weighs heavily on my heart and definitely Brandon’s heart. When we began the adoption process all we thought about was being parents, and loving this child that we have wanted for so long. We smiled at adorable baby clothes (and sometimes almost purchased them), middle-of-the-night feeding times and laughed about who would be changing the smelly diapers (Brandon's Job...just kidding). We have considered how our holidays will be spent and what traditions we might start with our new baby. We have also thought about how cool and challenging it will be to go on trips with three people instead of only us two, how will we pack a car (with the amount of luggage I pack, this will be interesting). There are so many wonderful thoughts creeping around in the expectant parent brain that is easy to get carried away and forget that adoption is not a rosy and cheerful process for everyone.

Every Adoption Begins with Heartbreak 

While we are celebrating the addition of a new family member, another family is mourning the loss of one of theirs. A birth-mom, and possibly a birth mom and dad, are making a sad and brave decision to make an adoption plan for their child. They are grieving the fact that they will not be the parents of this little precious baby; they won’t get to see the first smile, hear the first laugh or the first words. These precious and special people are choosing another couple to take on that important role of raising this child, accepting this child as their own.

In the beginning it was easy to gloss over this fact, that while we are laughing and planning, another family is crying. However, our wonderful adoption agency has been a true support in helping to educate us on the flip-side of adoption, the birth-family. Our adoption agency is a birth-mother ministry. Lifeline exists to support, encourage and pour into the lives of pregnant mothers who need help, regardless of whether there is an adoption or not. Lifeline provides housing assistant at Lifeline Village, counseling and many other forms of support. The welfare of the birth-mother is the #1 goal and we love this about our agency. We know and understand that birth-parents never stop loving their child, they will always think about them, their lives, their experiences and whether that child is happy. Knowing and understanding this helps us form decisions regarding the amount of openness we want to have with our child’s birth-parents. Birth-parents and birth families should always be prayed for and never forgotten.

As you support us, would you please pray for the sweet family that will make an adoption plan for their child and choose us to parent? We want to keep them covered in God’s love and protection. This adoption is not just about us and our new baby, it is a ministry opportunity to show the love of Jesus to another family, the love and mercy of God who has adopted us into His family.

~Brandon and Nichole~