Five years ago today we landed on U.S. soil with the most beautiful (handsome) boys!! From the first picture I saw of them, their big brown eyes instantaneously melted my heart and there was no turning back. The tugging on my heart was so strong that even when all seemed lost and everything appeared against us, we had hope.
Hope that is only rooted in faith and complete trust in God’s divine providence. A hope that can only come about after being brought to my knees again and again. After copious tears and sleepless nights as I thought about my sons, oceans away and the longing to hold them.
A love so fierce and strong for two people I had never met, a love I didn’t know was possible. A mother’s love, as they truly grew in my heart. The labor pains were not physical or something that lasted a few hours, rather ones that permeated the depths of my being and lasted for years. Until finally the day came to meet them!
The adoption process was not easy for us to say the least, especially coming on the heels of our miscarriages. When the outlook was bleak I didn’t know if I could handle anymore, but God was truly present through it all. Small promptings, that some may write off as coincidence, but for us they were signs of God’s hand guiding us forward.
Once we arrived in Ghana there was nothing I longed to see more than their smiles and to hold them in my arms. Our stay in Ghana was another time of complete surrender, everything that could go wrong did, but somehow God’s peace prevailed. (I wrote about it a few months after returning home, Our Journey to Ghana, part 2, 3 and 4)
They gave me the title of “Mom”, which is both humbling and an honor. Adoption is not always easy, it is both messy and beautiful. It is something that can shake your inner most being as you try to imagine the heartache such small children experience, the overwhelming feeling they have as they adjust to a new country and a new way of life.
In just 5 short years you have amazed me with your enormous hearts, your zeal for life and your courageous spirit. The love you have for your siblings melts my heart daily. You are their heroes and they are your biggest fans. The generosity you exhibit and the kindness you show is an inspiration to me and so many others.
In a blink of an eye I would go to the ends of the earth for you…to do it all again just to have you in my arms, just to see your smile!! Thank you for giving me a chance. While I will never take the place of the ones who loved you first, thank you for allowing me to be your mom!
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