I’ve been learning to embrace adoption since I was 7 years old. It was then that my parents adopted my brother Tom. Inviting Tom into our lives was a great experience that began to open my eyes to a new meaning of family. Later in life, I met my husband, Lee. We were married in 1989 and soon after, we welcomed our first daughter, Natalie, into our lives. As we tried to bring more life into our fam
ily, we lost two children through miscarriage. For the first time since I was a child, talks of adoption were back on the table. As talks progressed, Lee was apprehensive, whereas I couldn’t stop thinking, praying, and dreaming about adopting a child. For a time, the talks ended and we focused on the blessing God had given us. Fast forward another 3 years and we had another daughter, Mariah. With two daughters to our name, Lee decided to reopen adoption talks. This time around, he decided to go for it. In 1999, we brought our four-year-old son, David (Florin) home from Romania. He was the answer to my prayers and a gift to our family. Although he is an amazing 21-year-old man today, we have faced several obstacles. We sought help to get us through tough times and to help us rejoice in the good. We are grateful to have been directed to other adoptive parents who had been down the same roads. I hope to offer a similar hand of encouragement and hope to you and your family. Since we adopted David, I have had the privilege of speaking before various audiences across the country, including adoptive parents at the 2015 THRIVE Conference in San Diego. I am also the editor, and contributing author, for the Forever Families column on the Disciples Today website. I currently serve at the Indianapolis Church of Christ with Lee, who is an elder. I find it very rewarding to be an active member of our church’s adoption support group, and look forward to serving you in any way I can.
