Our initial meeting with our adoption case worker went really well. I was a tad more nervous than I expected, and I think it was because I realized that we were about to meet the person who was going to know some pretty intimate details of our lives. She is someone who will play a large and critical role in our journey and be a forever part of our family's story. As we were chatting about several different things, she mentioned that she is the oldest of 5 girls. She later stated that her mom home schooled all of them through all of their years of schooling. Besides having a great opportunity to turn the tables for a minute and ask her some questions about those experiences, it was a moment of comfort as we realized we had just the right person assigned to our family.
Besides being a bit more nervous than I expected, it was also a much more emotional meeting for us that I had anticipated. Clearly, we have made the decision to adopt. We know that and have talked about it and even written about it on this blog. Seeing it all laid out in black and white on a pile of paperwork, though, made it a reality in a way I haven't felt before. The reality that hit me, though, was reading about what information will be recorded at the time of relinquishment. There is a family somewhere in Ethiopia who will relinquish their child. There is a momma who will place her baby in the arms of someone else, or there is a daddy who will do the same because his wife has died. No matter the circumstances, the words birth family written all over our paperwork serve to remind me that there is heartache and loss associated with this process, even while we celebrate the addition of a child to our own family.
There is also another line on one of our many pages that talks about our accepting physical and legal custody of "our" child. Despite having lots of unknowns ahead of us, the one thing we know from the beginning is that there will be a child who is ours. The thing that takes some time to wrap your mind around is that he is theirs and ours. At the same time. For forever. And even now. Possibly before he even exists in this world. It's a reality that pretty much blows me away. To think that God can create people and families and cultural ties this way is one thing. To know that He has given us an opportunity to even be a part of this is quite humbling.
The two words "relinquishment" and "ours" have caused quite a stir of my emotions. Can you just imagine what is going to happen once we dive into the paperwork even more?
If I have a blog post for every two words in the stack of papers we have, we could be here awhile!
fam pic
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
A process...
On so many levels, we are definitely in the middle of a process ...
The adoption process itself ... we've taken a few steps already. We had our fingerprints scanned on Tuesday, and we have our first face-to-face interview with our adoption case worker TODAY. She mentioned we will be heading home with lots of paperwork for our home study. Literally lots of homework!
A process of logistics ... we have begun sorting and cleaning out all of our "stuff" and still have lots to do. We clearly have too much clutter. We have to decide who is going where when it comes to bedrooms. While we knew there would be an initial excitement that comes with planning for a new brother, the girls have somewhat surprised us with their willingness to get rid of stuff and do some rearranging.
A simplification process ... along with simplifying the physical stuff, we've all gained an awareness of what it means to get rid of extra clutter in other areas of our lives as well. That means making better choices when it comes to how we spend our time, how we spend our money, and what and where we choose to eat. It would have been a whole lot easier to have done this before having children, but we are all learning that we can be simple and still be content.
A process of discernment ... God has clearly guided us to this point, and we are certainly still in the process of figuring out where we are supposed to be. Adopting a child or children is the beginning and not the end of this process. Who knows what this means for our family long term, but we have become much more aware of issues that had not regularly crossed our minds before. Can't wait for Him to reveal more as we continue. As much as a sneak peek of the blueprints would be nice, there is so much to be learned in the process of waiting. We have a lot of that ahead of us!
The adoption process itself ... we've taken a few steps already. We had our fingerprints scanned on Tuesday, and we have our first face-to-face interview with our adoption case worker TODAY. She mentioned we will be heading home with lots of paperwork for our home study. Literally lots of homework!
A process of logistics ... we have begun sorting and cleaning out all of our "stuff" and still have lots to do. We clearly have too much clutter. We have to decide who is going where when it comes to bedrooms. While we knew there would be an initial excitement that comes with planning for a new brother, the girls have somewhat surprised us with their willingness to get rid of stuff and do some rearranging.
A simplification process ... along with simplifying the physical stuff, we've all gained an awareness of what it means to get rid of extra clutter in other areas of our lives as well. That means making better choices when it comes to how we spend our time, how we spend our money, and what and where we choose to eat. It would have been a whole lot easier to have done this before having children, but we are all learning that we can be simple and still be content.
A process of discernment ... God has clearly guided us to this point, and we are certainly still in the process of figuring out where we are supposed to be. Adopting a child or children is the beginning and not the end of this process. Who knows what this means for our family long term, but we have become much more aware of issues that had not regularly crossed our minds before. Can't wait for Him to reveal more as we continue. As much as a sneak peek of the blueprints would be nice, there is so much to be learned in the process of waiting. We have a lot of that ahead of us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)