Letting Love Lead

A few weekends ago, Cal and I had the opportunity to attend the 2009 Families Supporting Adoption National Conference, entitled 'Letting Love Lead'.

It was such a neat experience that I told Cal that it would take me a couple of days to wrap my head around everything that I heard and learned.

When Cal and I started down the road of Infertility, we did a lot of research. We wanted to know everything we could know about what we were involved with. We spent many hours trying to learn everything we could, we researched with books, asked lots and lots of questions to our doctors, and researched online. We wanted to know the most up to date medical information and medications and learn all we could about what we might be going through.

We feel the same way about Adoption. As soon as we started down this road, we started researching. We want to know all we can and have our minds and our hearts opened. We talk with people, ask questions, visit websites, learn about adoption laws, go to conferences, attended required 'training classes', and pray, a lot.

While attending this conference I was moments away from tears most of the first day.

I once heard it said that you 'gain a testimony of adoption', and Cal and I both agree that through this continual learning process we have done just that, and will continue to do so.

There were numerous classes that we got to choose from and attend. The topics ranged from 'Adoptive Parenting' to 'Adoption Advocacy: Sharing your Passion for Adoption' to 'Coping with a failed placement', and there were even some birth parent panels.

With so many different situations and obstacles that can happen with adoption, we feel that it is so important for us to stay informed, and attending these conferences is such a great way to do just that.

Most of what I learned at the conference are things that I want to keep nestled in my head and heart, and conversations and thoughts that are much too special to me to share with anyone but Cal. I do, however, feel that it is super important for me to share one thing that I really, really loved from the conference, and that Cal and I feel is so important for others to understand about our journey in adopting.

One of my favorite quotes was from the Keynote speaker, Troy Dunn, he said, "It is through sacrifice that we bring joy into each others lives."

Although Cal and I have not been chosen by a birth mom yet, we pray for 'Our Birth Mom' every single day. We pray that she knows that we love her. We know that it is through her sacrifice that we will have the joy of a child.

It is by her letting her heart and love lead her to the decision to place her child, that will bring us the joy of having a child, and let us give that child the opportunity to be with a forever family.

It is because of her.

And for that, we will be forever grateful.

There were moments in the conference that I will always remember.
It was such a neat experience learning new and interesting things about adoption, something that we have become very passionate about.

I love having the feeling of gratitude that I get when I think of how our babies are going to come to us. They will be brought into our lives from another Mother. One who is sacrificing part of her heart and is giving us part of her. One who is going to unselfishly make the decision of sacrifice to bring us joy.

What an amazing gift.

We will always remember this, and be grateful for the sacrifice that is going to be made for us.