Ever since I was young, adoption was something that grabbed my attention. I did not always know if I would personally be able to adopt a child or not, but I knew that caring for children in need of a family was necessary. Years later, when my husband and I started discussing adding children to our family, adoption for me was at the top of the list. We considered adopting a child before having children biologically. Then, to our surprise, we found out that we were expecting ou

You’re always at the forefront of my mind. Especially on birthdays or anytime something exciting happens in Brielle’s life. Tomorrow she starts Kindergarten. She genuinely loves learning and playing with friends so she is going to LOVE school. Tonight though, I thought of you and cried as I remembered that you are missing her first day of Kindergarten. There will always be so many things I wish you were here for. I know it’s crazy to say because she wouldn’t be here with me i

It’s funny how quickly we forget. We forget the morning sickness after we have the baby. We forget the resume building after landing that dream job. We forget the exhausting house search once we’re all moved in. We forget the months and months and months of waiting after our child’s adoption is finalized. Forgetting can be a reward after a hard-fought wait, but lately, I’ve been trying to remember. I am craving remembrance and concrete memories because we’re waiting. Right no

People would ask me if we were ever going to adopt again. My response would always vary. “I don’t know. Maybe someday.” “No, probably not.” “I think maybe God has another way for us to carry out our call to care for orphans.” Last Spring, I felt peace about letting go of the idea that our family would adopt again. We had been open to adopting again but God didn’t seem to be moving us in that direction. Adopting from China had changed drastically over the past few years and th

If you ask Brielle where she’s from, she’ll excitedly shout… “Wuhan!” When you ask her where Wuhan is, she’ll even more excitedly shout… “China!” She even loves to tell people her Chinese name. I love this about her. I love that she loves China and knows that’s where she was born. I know it’s healthy for her to learn tidbits about her past naturally as she grows so that there isn’t a shocking adoption reveal in her lifetime. I also know that hard questions are coming. Questio

I currently have eight unfinished blog posts about adoption, faith, and motherhood in a file on my computer. (Let's not even discuss my unedited book.) Eight! I could share two or three of them with you right now, but there's something that makes me pause sometimes when I am writing and sharing my heart with you. I always want my writing to be helpful and point you towards Jesus. That can mean not sharing until it is helpful. Sometimes we can wrestle through it together, but