Rights relinquished.


We had court today for our 19 month old foster daughter, Baby H. It was a long morning. There was a misunderstanding about the time, so we had to wait until all the cases were heard and luckily the judge said he would go ahead and hear ours. The waiting area was filled with beautiful children. The morning consisted of finalized adoptions, joyous reunifications with birth parents and birth parents weeping at the outcome of their hearing.  A few months ago Baby H's father's rights were terminated and today her mother relinquished her rights. I am not quite sure how to process this event and my emotions. To look into a mother's tear-filled eyes after she signed papers to terminate her parental rights is absolutely heartbreaking. I have so much respect for this woman who by no fault of her own cannot parent her daughter. How do you explain to her God's plan in all of this?  It was stated in our paperwork that I am the only friend she has. How is that possible? Thank you Jesus for placing her in our lives.  I am so thankful that we get to start the adoption process and end this part of the journey, but where do I go from here? We want to reassure her that just because she's legally not Baby H's mother anymore, she will always be a part of her life if circumstances allow. We're having her over for breakfast Sunday morning and  we're planning on once a month visits and spending holidays together. I pray that she becomes part of our family as well. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Our adoption hearing is the last week of November. 
 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, 

    is God in his holy dwelling. 
6 
God sets the lonely in families... Psalm 68:5-6



Popular posts from this blog

Saying Goodbye to Judah

Image
On January 20, 2020 at 7:15am, I said goodbye to my youngest child, my “forever” baby, my Judah. Seth woke me up by gently shaking my shoulder. I startled awake as he tearfully said, “I think he’s about to go.” I couldn’t believe it. How did it happen so quickly, why didn’t he wake me up earlier?? Seth said that his color changed almost instantly and his breathing drastically slowed while he was holding him in the living room while I got a few hours of sleep. I took Judah from Seth and climbed back into bed and told him to wake up everyone quickly. Owen sat next to me with his hand on Judah’s chest as we cried and told him goodbye one last time. Everyone hugged and kissed him as we listened to Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus and he took his final breath. The sobbing was audible and painful. I kept most of his face covered for the next two hours because I wanted the kids to remember him with his rosy red lips and beautiful complexion. Our heaven-sent hospice nurse came and pronounced him de
Read more

38 Years Young

Image
My goal for my 38th year is to quiet the negative self talk and begin to embrace my gifts and my strengths instead of focusing on my weaknesses. With that thought, I decided to write myself a reminder using the same grace I would with a friend. Happy birthday Elizabeth! I know it is so hard to believe that you are 38 years old. Last year was tough, but in the midst of all the trials you saw so much beauty from ashes. You grew in your faith and your roots deepened as you saw God come through time after time with unfailing faithfulness. I think it is fair to admit that life is difficult right now, considering all of the needs of your 8 children. It would be difficult to manage a family that size without one of them being terminally ill and another with severe attachment issues. You really are doing a good job. I know that you see the faults more than the successes, but you are an inspiration. You encourage others to seek after God first and obey the scary things He asks them t
Read more

Judah is 2!!

Image
I've been trying to come up with adequate words to describe how I feel about Judah turning 2. I don't think it's possible, so I will share the thoughts that have been running through my head. Judah's birth mom was encouraged to abort him. He wasn't expected to make it through birth. He came to live with us at 6 weeks old after circumstances that no one could deny God's hand on. The first 9 months of his life were filled with anxiety, little sleep and lots of funeral planning. We almost lost him more times than I can count. When he was 9 months old, by the grace of God, a water pipe melted and prevented our house fire from spreading to his room. The room next to his was 400 degrees and full of smoke. He had no smoke inhalation or any issues afterwards at all. After that trial, I begged God for a break and to keep Judah healthy for awhile. For more than a year now, we have only had one close call, where I thought it might be the end. God is so good to have gi
Read more