Welcome to…
Orphan Awareness Month.
I am so excited about what is to come on my blog this month. So many people have graciously provided their stories for me to share with you. I actually received so many testimonies that I have asked my amazing hubby to hop on board and help me share them.
Between both of our blogs, we will share some really special families with you throughout the month of November. You will read about domestic adoptions and international adoptions. You will read stories about how God provided in miraculous ways, and how He was so faithful to keep His promises. I invite you to journey with Anthony and me as we share the hearts of some amazing people with you. Testimonies are so powerful.
This month will be all about orphans, adoption, and bringing an awareness to the plight of countless children who wait for someone to come for them. The need is staggering…162 MILLION now, to be exact! I am praying that many of you will join us this month as we try to get as many testimonies out there–all in the hope that hearts will be stirred into action and many will say, “I can do that too! Here I am Lord, send me!”
In addition to sharing stories of those who have adopted (or who are in the process of adopting), I also have a few children to share with you this month. Precious, precious children who are in desperate situations and need a family so urgently. I’m hoping that together we can spread their sweet faces far and wide and hopefully find their families.
Of course I will continue to post about my own darlings too throughout the month. We have a sweet little lovie’s birthday coming up next week. Oh my goodness, I am itching to show you the most adorable pictures I have ever seen! But it will have to wait until the precious one’s birthday–the perfect time to share.
We’re all about orphans this month because….
Dirkes family testimony:
I have two mothers.
One knows me intimately. She knows every inch and every scar. She cheers all the triumphs, no matter how big or small. She worries so well that she could turn it into a sport. She apologizes (while laughing) for the bad 80’s haircut she inflicted on my elementary-age self…and leaves the mushrooms out of the spaghetti sauce so I don’t have to pick them out while I’m eating.
My mother loves me because I’m the child of her heart.
The other knows me just as completely. She remembers what it felt like to carry me in her body. She hums the same song that she used to sing to put me to sleep and smiles. She looks at my picture and sees herself in my hazel eyes. She too, worries about her daughter…in ways that I will never fully be able to appreciate.
My mother loves me because I’m the child she grew under her heart.
Having two mothers is a gift and being loved so completely twice over is a blessing. I wouldn’t trade any part of me or my history. But at the same time, that history and its associated feelings can be frustratingly complex. There are no easy answers in the world of adoption. In some instances, there are more questions than available answers. Some of the answers provided carry with them heavy pangs of guilt for all parties involved. Even everyday language is loaded. A glance in the mirror can be too.
This is also the world into which I welcome my Charlotte.
I know that her questions and feelings will come, and they will probably come when I am least expecting them. She will catch a glimpse of her beautiful blue eyes in the bathroom mirror one morning while washing her face and wonder where they came from. She will wonder if she looks just like her mom or just like her dad or some combination of the two. She will question why her parents sent her to that baby house. As a teenager, she will probably even use the line that makes adoptive moms everywhere cringe—you’re not my mother! You can’t tell me what to do!
She will struggle with the questions and the assumptions and the language used by (mostly) well-meaning individuals. These are the people who want to know all the details…the hows…and the whys…her story. These are the people who tell her that she should be “grateful” that she has a family. These are the people who wonder about her “real” family and what is “wrong” with them.
Just like my mother did (and does), I will tell Charlotte that she is here because we loved her and we wanted her. I will tell her that she is no different than her peers—entitled to the same love and caring that a family provides. I will tell her that she is a lucky girl who has two distinct families that love her in two very unique ways.
Just like my mother did, I will tell Charlotte that it is okay to feel confused about it all. It is okay to wonder how her life would be different. I will tell her that it is okay to be angry sometimes. I will tell her that we expect no more from her because she is adopted than we would expect from any biological child. I will tell her that her story is hers to tell or not, and that I respect either decision.
Just like my mother did, I will tell Charlotte that neither of her mothers are perfect. I will tell her that adoption means a lifetime in this world of balance—the genes and the environment. I will tell her that her family is a beautifully complex mixture of love, circumstance, choice, and biology. I will tell her that, someday, we will find the answers to her questions if she wants to.
Just like my mother did (and does), I will tell her how glad I am that she is my daughter…the daughter of my heart.
My daughter and I have two mothers…and we are blessed, indeed.
Kelly Dirkes shares their journey on her blog here. Please pray for them as they trust the Lord for every dollar to bring their sweet Charlotte home. They meet their precious angel in just a few days.
