He gives you the love to share

It's hard. Incredibly. Hard.

See, in adoption, you give your heart, your whole heart to a child that is not yours. You love them, pray for them, and hope that one day he/she will be your child. But in the time waiting...you fall more and more in love with this child. Often, this is a child you've never met. Never hugged, never touched...but constantly longing for.

Eight years ago, I fell in love with a little boy with the biggest cheeks I'd ever seen. I loved him with every inch of my being. My arms ached to hold him. In my heart he was MY son. I found myself wondering what he was doing. Was he happy? Was he crying? Was someone comforting him? Photos and updates were all I had. But I longed for more! I needed to know everything about this small person who I didn't know.. God had linked us together.
But the reality is that, he was not mine. Not yet. 

Four years ago, I fell in love with a child. My heart made a space for another child. I seriously had doubts for awhile that I would be able to love another child as much as I loved my son. But then it happened. My heart was opened and already in love with another child. But this time, there were no pictures, no updates. nothing. nada. zip.
But my heart was still full and longed to meet my next child.

And then the phone rang. Short and sweet details about a baby girl in another state. She needed a family. THIS was my heart! I loved her before I even knew about her. At that moment, I would have done anything for her.
But she wasn't mine. Not yet. And yet, I loved her.

How can you love someone you've never met?
Someone who *may* be your child one day?
Someone who may *not* be your child one day?

Easy.
God allows you too.
He gives you the love to share.

Adoption is not easy. It is not for the faint of heart. You may fall in love with a child that may never be yours. Whom you may never see. A child who you may hold and love and fall even more in love with only to have to say good bye. This is the reality of adoption. It can be hard. It can be difficult. It can be frustrating. It can shatter your heart....but...

But...

It can be AMAZING
It can be JOYFUL
It can change you more than you can ever imagine
It will BLESS you
It WILL change you

It is worth every moment of love that you can give!!!!!
It IS worth the risk!!

See, when you commit to adopt, you commit to opening your heart to the unknowns. Each type of adoption has it's own risks. Financial risks, legal risks, emotional risks.

International adoptions are often unstable. Things can change at a moments notice. I know many families right now that are loving their children from afar, some fighting for years to bring their children home after country programs closed. Is it the usual in international adoption? Thankfully...no. But the risk all the same.

I know families who have met their babies through domestic adoption, loved them, prayed with them, named them and shared their love with their families, only to get the call that the birth parents have decided to parent...and they needed to bring the baby back. Is this the usual in domestic adoption? Thankfully...no. But the risk all the same.

Is it worth it? YES!
Is it hard? ABSOLUTELY!
Will we do it again? YES!

Why?

Adoption is not for everyone. But it IS for us. I cannot imagine my life without my children. I can not imagine my life without adoption. There is not one single thing that I would change in my life.

The risk is worth it. 
God's children are worth it!!

Old pic...but LOVE it!