First and foremost, I am feeling much better from last Friday's episode in the ER. I am trying to monitor my diet a little better so hopefully that will help with things. On Sunday we were finally able to make it to church in Defiance. I love listening to our pastor, Fr. Todd. He is the reason we are at the church we are at and after listening to one of his homilies I always feel ready to tackle the week.
We had what I like to call a "God moment" this week as well! It has been at least 1 month since we were in Defiance on a Sunday for church and this Sunday a special announcement was made about adoption. The adoption coordinator for Catholic Charities in Toledo was scheduled to hold a meeting on Tuesday at the school directly across the street from our house. Some of you are probably thinking "so what?" at this moment but let me explain. When we were first considering adoption we went to an information meeting in Toledo put on by Catholic Charities. It was so moving that after that meeting we were certain we would be adopting a child at some point in our lives. At that first meeting we got to listen to two birth mothers speak about their experiences. They were both pregnant at the time and one mother even surprised the couple she had chosen to parent her baby at the meeting. There was not a dry eye that night to say the least. However, the one birth mother stood out among the rest. Her name is Caroline. She is one of the most beautiful, selfless and awe-inspiring individuals that I have ever met. I left that meeting with a new sense of what it means to adopt and the loss that is also experienced during the process. While we knew adoption was in our future that night we had already planned to give IVF a try so put the adoption idea on hold. We were already emotionally and financially invested in fertility treatments so much so that the thought of stopping everything cold turkey was overwhelming. You already know our IVF procedure failed and you know that we are in the midst of waiting for our child with another agency. However, signing up with another agency is something many couples do when adopting and is something we have talked briefly about. When we heard Catholic Charities was going to be in Defiance we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get a few more questions answered about their program and decided to attend with the intention of only getting more information. We were sure in for a surprise!
So now to the "God moment". As we walked into the doors to the meeting we recognized the adoption coordinator and then saw the same two birth mothers that were present at the information meeting, this time sans big pregnant bellies! They told their stories again but this time including the heartache experienced in the loss of their child. Even so, these women were at peace with their decisions. Their stories are beautiful and so touching. I knew walking away Tuesday night that we were on the right path to finding our child. I also knew we would be signing up with Catholic Charities as well. While our infertility has caused me to feel inadequate, envious, jealous, angry, and depressed at times I discovered what so many people desire when in "the slimy pit". God will always be there! "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand" (Psalm 40:2). While my heart aches most days for a child to fill my arms I am at the same time filled with joy that God has chosen me to experience the blessing that adoption truly is.
In other news, our nursery furniture arrived. It is assembled and looks great. We can't wait to find bedding, paint and make it beautiful. We are so excited to continue preparing for our child. We can't wait to meet you some day little one! Here is a sneak peek:
Side note: Please pray for all those in Ohio affected by the random storms Friday afternoon. Many families are still without power in this sweltering heat, lost buildings and had crops destroyed! We spent the majority of our day moving tree limbs, hooking up generators, and tranferring frozen food to and from freezers!
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