The Stress of it All

Wow, how does everyone deal with the stress of adoption? 

The waiting, the anticipation, the home study meetings, the uncertainty of how it will end, the bleeps and hick ups, the paperwork; it is not an easy journey but no one said it would be easy. It's hard, much work goes into it and still we persevere because the end result is so worth it. It's like when you really, really want to be pregnant and have a baby and you can't, for some unknown reason it just isn't happening. I know, our first baby took a while but when it did happen it just made everything that was hard disappear.

That's not so say that parenting is always easy, it's not, it sure has it trials and tribulations and it tests you good and yet still you would not give it up for the world because there are so many good moments, tiny capsules of treasure floating throughout our lives.  It consumes you and you're more than happy to give yourself to it.

That's how the adoption process is.  It's hard and yet you can't stop because you know there is a child waiting on you. But now that the home study is done I just need to take a breather for a moment, recoup my strength. I'm sure everyone's done that at one point or another, you need to if you are to get through it.

The final report of the Home Study has arrived. What is next?

Hallelujah

As amazing as it is the Home Study is finally in my hands. I am beyond excited I cried. I opened the email from our social worker and there it was, the draft of the home study. I understand now I have to go over it carefully and correct anything that needs correcting or changing but it is done. It is finally done and it is real. Up til now it almost seemed like it was not real, or like it would never really end; it would just go on and on with no end in site but now it's here. I read through it quickly, reading some of it out to hubby. It is long and it was longer still before. The social worker said she had to cut it down a lot. I guess when the adoptive parents are older there is a lot of material to go through. She had to use her discretion and slice it down but it's good. It's very good and best of all her recommendation is ... to move ahead towards adoption.

Even with all the challenges we were able to work through them and she was able to find positive outcomes but I know that even that is no guarantee that I will be able to help one child. Will we adopt? God seems to be revealing the answer to that one step at  a time and in each step we learn and we grow and so each step is very crucial for us.

I can see it now. It is building love, strength and faith in each other like never before. This child is teaching us so much already. How can we forsake her?  We cannot.