What Adoption means to me

When I look at my kids, I don't have the privilege of seeing my color in their eyes. I don't see my grandma's hands which are like my mom's which are like mine. I don't get to compare baby photos and see who looks like me or my husband. I don't get to say, "Well she acts just like I did when I was little." Does that bother me? Sometimes. Do I dwell on it? Absolutely not! What ultimately makes a family? I've had someone ask me, "Are you their real mother?" Well if you want to get technical, did I have the joy of feeling their growth inside me, pour my love into their well being and get the distinct honor of being there for the delivery? No I didn't, but I can most assuredly say, YES, I am their real mother. What makes a mother? Blood? Ask all the kids abandoned on the street, thrown in the dumpster, aborted before they even have a chance. Does the person that carried them get that title because of a blood relation?

To me a mother is someone who will rock you at night when she is so exhausted and only wants to go to sleep but will rock you anyway because you matter more. A mother will go to ends of the earth to pay a lawyer and fight for the right to keep you, raise you and love you. A mother will look you in the eye and tell you the truth about your past, even if that past is hurtful and hard to hear. A mother will encourage you to succeed, celebrate and motivate you every day. A mother is a personal cheerleader. Someone who will stand strong and be a voice for you when you are too small to have a voice. We have an adoption poem in our family and it goes like this:


Adoption is love
Love is family
Family is forever

I wasn't there in the beginning but God said I get to be there in the end! He chose my children for me. It's a great honor to be an adoptive parent and it's one I don't take lightly. I love that I get to be there for all of my children's needs. Please don't think our life is picture perfect. It is far from it! But we love each other, stick up for each other and want each other to succeed! How much more real can it get?