Our first conversations when we met included the possibility of adopting. We were both drawn to the idea and assumed the potential from the beginning. But the path was hazy.
And then the time came for us. Like sweet tidings carried upon the morning breeze were our minds swept up with a dream of a different kind of family
We met with a few couples who had traveled the adoption trail before us. The goal was information and advice. Everyone had a story. Some were stories of great gladness. Others told of unimaginable sorrow. But each story started with a first step. A mission trip to a country and a falling in love with a people. A sermon. A vision. Hearts broken by broken hearts.
But the “how” stumped us. It all seemed so overwhelming. Paperwork to fill out. Country of origin to be decided. Local or domestic? And then the help we most needed. It didn’t seem like much then. Neither one of us wrote it down on a napkin It was simple. And it made a very hard and long journey simple.
“Just take the next step.”
We went to an informational meeting. No obligation beyond that. And then we agreed to take the Red Folder home. No obligation. We decided to fill it out. It sat a while. We turned it in… Simple. Next Steps. Looking back, each step was pretty easy. Even saying yes to our first placement didn’t seem like a big deal. A little boy. Just six weeks old. Who was sure to go home in a few weeks. Who was sure to change our lives. And who is sure to change many lives. Who is now our son. As is his biological brother our son. His biological sister is our daughter. We now have six children. Three are through adoption. Three are not. It is hard. Every day hard. But we know it is good.
Every step came with an idea of what might come next. Yet the future is very uncertain. We had no idea how the whole thing would play out.
We still wonder how it will all play out.
And we continue to just take the next step.