Birth parents

We began the adoption classes by talking about the adoption triad. Yes, folks, this is a triangle with the child at the top and the birth parents and adoptive parents at each of the bottom corners. I would challenge you to look beyond the basics of it and think about the fact that this is essentially lives being knit together. It is often the tendency to minimize the birthparents contribution to the whole process of adoption, however, we need to remember that the birthparents are the start of everything. They are the ones who have chosen life for the child and that is no small matter in this day and age. Also, they are the ones who possibly have given some early care to the child and are the ones who give the child their cultural identity. What is our role then, as adoptive parents? To nurture all the things that this child is.

It is different by country, but I think that in Ethiopia it is mainly the case that birth parents have died and extended family has relinquished the children to orphanages for care. The social worker at Holt told us that they expect it to be fairly common that we will be able to meet extended family of the child and/or to be given pictures of family. I am purposing to pray specifically that this will be the case for us. I would love to be able to have this connection for our child as they grow up. What a privilege it would be to personally thank our child's extended family for entrusting the child to our care. Hmmm...that would be a very big moment I am sure. It is hard enough for me to think that we will actually be given a child, a beautiful little soul, that wasn't ours to begin with! I can give you a million reasons why I don't deserve such a thing! But to also be able to show my gratitude to the ones who made the ultimate decision to make that child available to us would be amazing.