"Don't worry, Mommy will find you!"
So, we went to First Baptist Nashville on Sunday, Feb. 28 for our first 'adoption 101' meeting. It is a support/information regarding adoption group. Our friend Lori went along too because she and her husband are also in the adoption process. My parents went to show support for Justin and me and love the notion of being grandparents in the near future!
We met several couples, some in the adoption process, some just thinking about it, and some whose entire lives had been touched by adoption. There were adult adoptees and those who have adopted children of all ages. It was very cool to just have a place to talk about our excitement, our fears, and the process.
One of the leaders of the group who is becoming a mentor to us in this journey adopted two of our turtles and took them home to her two adopted daughters. Because she tells the story better than I could, let me quote her (permission was granted and first initials of names are used to protect identity):
"Tonight when I gave the girls their turtles I told them they we had adopted them and that they were to take care of their turtle and be a good mommy. "E" named hers Shiloh after a friend of hers at school...Well, in the span of less than 30 minutes Shiloh went missing. "E" cried and cried for Shiloh. Finally I told her I'd look for Shiloh while Daddy read to them. "E" yelled out to Shiloh "Don't worry Mommy's gonna find you." Well, I searched, retraced every step Shiloh took the short time she was in the house and finally found her behind by bedroom door. Don't know if Shiloh was actually hiding from "E" or just got dizzy from all the tossing up in the air that "E" was doing with her. Anyways, she is safe and sound and heading to bed with a happy "E."
At that point, I knew that I would always, always remember "Don't worry, Mommy's gonna find you" as my mission statement in the adoption process! It's full of hope, it gives me a goal, and it ends with someone being found. Have you ever been lost? I mean, have you ever been really, truly lost? Maybe you got lost in the car (before they made Tom-Tom's) or maybe as a child, you got lost in a Wal-Mart, or perhaps you went out in the woods and got separated from your group. I know the few times that I have felt lost, the scary part for me was the fear of being forgotten. In learning about older children who are waiting to be adopted, I have to wonder if some of them have the feeling, "I was forgotten." It breaks my heart to think of any child, or anyone for that matter, who feels forgotten. But after hearing the story of "E" and Shiloh the turtle, and the fact that Shiloh was NOT forgotten, but the steps were retraced until she was found, the lightbulb came on in my head and I knew that we will NOT forget our committment to our child. It is a long journey, but we will continue to trace our steps and we will find them, no matter where they are.
We met several couples, some in the adoption process, some just thinking about it, and some whose entire lives had been touched by adoption. There were adult adoptees and those who have adopted children of all ages. It was very cool to just have a place to talk about our excitement, our fears, and the process.
One of the leaders of the group who is becoming a mentor to us in this journey adopted two of our turtles and took them home to her two adopted daughters. Because she tells the story better than I could, let me quote her (permission was granted and first initials of names are used to protect identity):
"Tonight when I gave the girls their turtles I told them they we had adopted them and that they were to take care of their turtle and be a good mommy. "E" named hers Shiloh after a friend of hers at school...Well, in the span of less than 30 minutes Shiloh went missing. "E" cried and cried for Shiloh. Finally I told her I'd look for Shiloh while Daddy read to them. "E" yelled out to Shiloh "Don't worry Mommy's gonna find you." Well, I searched, retraced every step Shiloh took the short time she was in the house and finally found her behind by bedroom door. Don't know if Shiloh was actually hiding from "E" or just got dizzy from all the tossing up in the air that "E" was doing with her. Anyways, she is safe and sound and heading to bed with a happy "E."
At that point, I knew that I would always, always remember "Don't worry, Mommy's gonna find you" as my mission statement in the adoption process! It's full of hope, it gives me a goal, and it ends with someone being found. Have you ever been lost? I mean, have you ever been really, truly lost? Maybe you got lost in the car (before they made Tom-Tom's) or maybe as a child, you got lost in a Wal-Mart, or perhaps you went out in the woods and got separated from your group. I know the few times that I have felt lost, the scary part for me was the fear of being forgotten. In learning about older children who are waiting to be adopted, I have to wonder if some of them have the feeling, "I was forgotten." It breaks my heart to think of any child, or anyone for that matter, who feels forgotten. But after hearing the story of "E" and Shiloh the turtle, and the fact that Shiloh was NOT forgotten, but the steps were retraced until she was found, the lightbulb came on in my head and I knew that we will NOT forget our committment to our child. It is a long journey, but we will continue to trace our steps and we will find them, no matter where they are.
Comments
Post a Comment