My Mother's Day Perspective

I'm reposting from my Mother's Day post at Illinois FSA:

Mother’s Day was the least celebrated holiday in our home for the seven years we were married before our son joined our family in August of 2006. Every Mother’s Day for seven years was spent in tears. The Saturday night before Mother's Day, I told my husband that I didn’t think I could go to church the next day. I didn’t have the strength to listen to the children sing to their mothers as my heart and arms ached, longing for a child. “ALL women are mothers in some form” a member of the Bishopric would say as they asked all the mothers in the congregation to stand. I would drop my head knowing deep down that it was true, there was more than one way to be a mother, but I still longed to be called “Mommy” by a sticky fingered, blessed little spirit running around my home. I would wipe away the tears and question why we are all commanded to “multiply and replenish the earth” with exception of us (visualize an enormous finger pointing down from the heavens at me and my husband!)

My first Mother's Day with our son was one of my most special days. My poor husband thought he was free from tears on Mother's Day now that we had adopted our son, but this time there were tears of joy, love and gratitude. There were even tears of sorrow as I thought about the pain birthmothers were experiencing. It was on this day that I realized the errors of my ways while dealing with our seven years of “waiting” for our adoption miracle. I needed to change my thinking. We were not cursed with infertility; we were blessed to have been chosen by a loving Heavenly Father to be adoptive parents! The two of us were a couple that would have strength enough to survive the challenges of the adoption process - Adoption is not for the faint of heart! We were a couple that would have the capability to raise a child placed in our arms by another woman. Not only would we have the opportunity to raise a child, but we would get to meet and know true heroes and angels in the birthparents that would entrust us with the sacred duty of raising their child. How special it is to be living among angels.

We feel honored to be among those whose families are created through the most emotional and most wonderful experience called adoption. We know our son is meant to be a part of our family – there is no doubt about that. He just took a different, less traditional route to get to our family. He fills a place in our heart that only he, his birthmother, and her family could have filled. It was a painful wait, but each day as we watch him grow, we know that our Father in Heaven specifically tailor-made our family for us!

As our family rides the roller coaster of the adoption process again and as our “wait” seems to move forward at a turtle’s pace, we find peace in knowing that the Lord is again designing our specific family just for us. He knows each of us individually, our needs, and he has not left us alone nor will He. Creating families is a delicate process that takes time, thought, and “waiting”.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” ~Jeremiah 29:11