Just about six weeks ago now, the last of our Big Kids, our Bio's, the fruit of my womb, MOVED OUT!! Yep, for real!! Brian and I ponder to ourselves (half in jest, half seriously) and try to imagine what kind of life we would have right now if that last kid to move out WAS, in fact, the last kid to move out.
I'd like to think that we would be frolicking around, travelling the world, ... seeking out adventure ... and delighting in romance ...
Ahh, yes, ... thank-you for that ... it really isn't good to stray too long from reality.
It's National Adoption Awareness month ... yep, it is ... and that means something to me. It means a whole LOT to me, actually.
You see, just a few weeks ago, we celebrated our 10-Year Adoptiversary with our sweet Molly-bug!! Fastest ten years of my live ever!!!
Adoption was always something I was open to but seemed to be an impossibility and adopting Molly is nothing less than an ordained miracle ... PURE REDEMPTION for this selfish mother who just wanted a daughter.
You can read a bit about how we finally
decided to adopt here: The Transition to Adoption.
There used to be so many places that I wanted to go, so many things I wanted to see and do ... so much LIFE that I wanted to experience. I looked forward to the fact that when my children became adults, I was still going to be pretty young and able.
And then came Molly.
Molly is a fantastic daughter!!
She is so responsible and hard-working, kind and helpful.
She does really well in school and she loves being active and involved.
We're crazy about her and we are SUPER BLESSED to have her as our daughter.
In fact, because of her, our lives were permanently altered.
YEP, IT'S ALL HER FAULT!!
Because of her our eyes were opened ...
... our hearts expanded ...
... our blessings were multiplied.
Since adopting Molly, we also added Brynn, Jonah, and Rees to our family. We've learned and experienced and grown SO MUCH!!
We get a small glimpse of what it is to be adopted, accepted, and loved by God as he draws our OUTCAST selves into His LOVING ARMS.
There's things I wish we could do, places I wish we could go, things I wish I could give to my children ...
... but are any of those things really the things that matter? No.
My life may not be the way that I originally pondered but we have certainly travelled the world (to a beautiful place where our children were born) ... our lives are in tandem with the greatest adventure we could have ever planned (As soon as I saw you I knew an adventure was going to happen -Winnie the Pooh) ... all for the romance of our Great GOD and Savior who we LOVE to serve.
Not what I thought but so much better, so much more than I'd ever even imagined possible.
I would not trade it for anything!
Adoption has deeply enriched my life.
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I did an object lesson for the children at church yesterday. It's not mine to brag about ... I stumbled across it on the internet and liked how simple, yet powerful it is. Each child was given a doughnut, which they were, of course, THRILLED about. We talked about the doughnut for a bit and I told them this cute little rhyme to remember about their doughnut.
“As you go through life make this your goal –
look at the doughnut and not the hole.”
Some people might look at the doughnut and struggle to focus on anything but the fact that the hole in the doughnut means that something is missing --
-- something that was taken away --
-- something that should have been there.
But instead of focusing on what's missing, shouldn't we look at what's still there?
Shouldn't we look at the doughnut and be thankful for all that we still have?
Instead of wondering what the doughnut might have been like had it not been altered, shouldn't we be grateful for what it is?
Shouldn't we admire it's design and delight in it's taste trusting that it's exactly the way that it was meant to be?
Instead of focusing on the things that I don't have or longing for the things that have been taken away, I'm choosing to be thankful ...
... thankful for all that I did have, even though I no longer have it.
... thankful for all that I do have, even if it's not what I thought it would be.
... thankful for all that I will have, trusting it will always be exactly what I need.
