A Little More of my thoughts on Adoption

Last week I started a series on The Beauty of Adoption. Today's post is a continuation.....

Our life before Glenda was full of ministry and more ministry. We loved each other. We loved the ministry, but we were missing the child element from our lives. When we were told by doctors that having children was not going to happen outside of a miracle, we went after the miracle, only to be disappointed time and time again.

In 1990 when our paths crossed with a vibrant and precious 15 year old, our lives changed forever and became more full of happiness than we ever dreamed. I remember people saying to us, "Oh, my! You chose to start with a teenager? You must be special people!" I know they meant well, and I appreciated the "complement", but in all honesty, we aren't special people. We simply fell in love with a wonderful young lady who just happened to need a home.

We didn't then, and never have felt like, we were this benevolent couple who had pity on a teenaged girl. We were a couple who needed Glenda. She brought so much joy to our lives, that in retrospect, I honestly believe we needed her more than she ever needed us.

So, the "Beauty of the Spirit of Adoption" for us, is about a remarkable young lady who transformed the lives of a young couple who desperately needed her.

Let me fast forward a few years to the birth of Glenda's first baby, Macy. Oh, my. Just saying her name brings a smile to my heart and to my face. So many times I have heard grandparents say things like, "Look! She looks just like her mom when she was born", or "I've never seen a baby look more like his daddy!" I wondered when my first grand child was born what I would say, because I never had the pleasure of holding Glenda when she was a baby. I missed those sweet tender moments of rocking her to sleep. Neither Rusty or myself got to hold her hands as she took her first steps. I wasn't there when she lost her first tooth, or many of the firsts, but we were there when she re-dedicated her life to God, when she received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. We had the privilege of being there every night when she went to bed, and every morning when she woke up. But - we did miss those baby days. To say I was ecstatic when Macy was born would be the understatement of the century.

When they placed baby Macy in my arms, I felt like the world suddenly melted and everything was this warm, fuzzy halo of pure bliss. It was as if I was holding Glenda- because I was holding a part of her. I was never able to cradle a baby Glenda in my arms and look into those big brown eyes, but there I was, holding a part of her! I had the pleasure of staying with them the first two weeks of Macy's life- loving on her, changing her, feeding her, waking up with her. It didn't matter how little sleep I got, because I was "Noni"! - Macy's grandmother. What a treasure to always remember!

I don't want to even think of our lives had we not had the opportunity to choose Glenda as our daughter. It is like up to that point every memory was in black and white and the moment she came into our home, we were suddenly living in beautiful and vibrant colors!

Now, we are so blessed to have Glenda and Brad, precious Macy, and now our second generation of adoption bliss, Mia!

I guess I just wanted to preface my upcoming journal entries on our trip to China with letting all my blogger buddies knowing how special and beautiful it is to have our Glenda! She is a wonderful daughter, devoted and compassionate mother, and an awesome minister and woman of God! She is such an inspiration to her mother who absolutely adores her!

I will do a post on "A Noni's Journey to Mia Grace" about once a week, so stay tuned!

Love you all!

dorinda

Out of my Treasure Box:

Here are some great reads:

• Boundaries by Drs. Cloud and Townsend
• Boundaries with Kids by Cloud and Townsend
• Boundaries with Teens by Cloud and Townsend
• Raising Great Kids by Cloud and Townsend
• See all of their books here.

~This Treasure chest find has one of my highest recommendations!