Adoption is a concept we understand. Some of us may know a person who was adopted, but unless you are adopted, have personally adopted a child, or experienced the process via close friends or family though, you may not comprehend the real beauty of adoption.
Only in the last few years have I come to truly appreciate adoption. At one time my parents considered adopting a child. I remember snippets of conversations about the child, but nothing specific about the process.
In elementary school I had a classmate who we all knew was adopted. We understood that meant the parents she lived with were not the parents who birthed her, but beyond that we did not give it much thought. I do remember a sense of sadness at the realization, for whatever reason, her mommy wasn’t raising her.
It wasn’t until we moved to San Marcos that I began to accurately understand the gift of adoption. The church we attended was home to several families who either had completed or were in the process of adopting children. I’m not referring to newborns either; these were older children living in group homes as wards of the state.
Not only did we get to hear their stories, we got to watch these former orphans blossom in their forever homes. Even better, our pastors, who also became our next-door neighbors embarked on an adoption journey. Due to their close proximity, we were able to experience this intense, gut wrenching, tumultuous, amazing and magnificent process up close.
As a woman I can understand the yearning for a child, I’ve experienced it. My longing was for a biological child, but the feelings are no different for a family desiring to adopt. Just as natural conception does not always work out just the way we would like, neither does adoption.
The poem that follows, “Cries of Her Child” was written by me for our pastor’s wife during her adoption journey:
Cries of Her Child
Daughter’s voice rings out, penetrates the night
Mommy hurries to her room hoping all is right
Drowsily stumbling down the hall
Anxious to soothe the heartrending call
Sleeping peacefully, tucked in his bed
She finds not her daughter, but her son instead
Tears well up, tender heart rips
Soft muffled sobs escape parted lips
Child of Ukraine, many miles away
She yearns for the day you come home to stay
Soon she will travel, daughter to find
Visions of you resonate through her mind
Sleep tight sweet daughter, clothed in prayer
Mommy is coming, do not despair
Tender arms to hold you, melodic voice to sing
Two hearts to merge, what joy you’ll bring
Our friends experienced not only the aching for this unknown child, but also an incredible joy once they met the child, which in this case turned out to be a set of sisters, who would become theirs. The delight at finding their daughters was no different than what she and her husband experienced after their son was born.
For anyone who has rescued a child from the harsh reality of life without a family, I applaud your selfless gift. And for any individual who was chosen for adoption, congratulations on finding your forever home.
Until Next Time,
Becky J Miller
“Warrior Princess”
*Additionally, you can read my “Living Outside The Lines” post on San Marcos Corridor News.