National Adoption Day

It was yesterday, but I was dealing with my sick baby girl so I didn't comment on it. (She is fine today.)

It's strange to think about what my life, and my children's lives, would be like without adoption. I may or may not have bio kids at this point in my life for one thing. A and I may or may not live in a nicer house or any number of things. You get the idea.

But there would be no R or E in my life, something I can hardly imagine. There would be no trip to Ethiopia, a trip that changed my life in many ways besides bringing home our girls.

And my precious babies... I think a lot about what R's life would be like if she had remained in Ethiopia. The thought is painful. My beautiful, precious, spirited two-year-old... I don't know how her life would have turned out. For E, my concentration is on getting her home, but there are parts of her story that would be vastly different if she would remain in ET.

I don't mean imply at all that I have "saved" my girls from Ethiopia. While I am so thankful that they are my daughters, I am well aware that decisions made without their input or consent will have consequences for them, for us, for their birthfamilies, for their birth country.

So, today, yesterday, tomorrow, every day really, I thank God for the gift of adoption in my life. I know the road we've chosen will not always be easy for any of us. But I also know that adoption has shaped, enriched, and changed my life for the better. I'm a momma of two beautiful girls who do not share my DNA but will forever hold my heart.

Happy National Adoption Day!