A Family Complete: The Tenth in a Series on Infertility, Miscarriages and Adoption
Our family was complete.
It would be three years after getting Ellie before we could bring her home to the US for the first time, and although we had “let go of control” by that point, I hadn’t realized the weight I still carried on my shoulders until the day that we made it through immigration in New York. We said a prayer together as a family and walked through those gates with confidence and faith.
Ellie even winked at the immigration officer on our way out the door….a trick she learned from the first time she met her Grandpa in Canada, a “middle location” we flew to a couple years before so our family could meet us there and meet their newest family member. (We got creative on how to keep our extended family connected with us amidst our inability to go to the US for three years!)
Reflecting back on how our family became a unit reminds me of the journey we are all on in life and how struggles almost always have a way of turning into blessings. Not only did our move to Singapore and the infertility battles give us a family, made Peter and I stronger and introduced us to incredible people along the way, we actually found God through the process, making our purpose that much more meaningful. We were anointed by the Holy Spirit and it was through this experience that God spoke to us and allowed us to learn about the gift of salvation given to us by Jesus Christ.
I know that faith is personal and religion, especially to my reading community is vast and diverse. I love each and every one of you as God’s children and pose no judgment on personal beliefs. I know that this journey is ours and it is what brought us to this point in our lives. Our faith and commitment to Christ works for us in ways we never knew it could and we are proud of that growth we have taken.
We stand here today as a united family but one with struggles and challenges to keep ourselves strong. We fight over stupid things, have difficulty controlling our anger and often take each other for granted. Even with a story like ours, we have a tendency to forget the bigger picture. Just writing these blogs has helped me to reflect on what is important and what I need to remember on a daily basis. I hope that it inspires you to do the same!
It would be three years after getting Ellie before we could bring her home to the US for the first time, and although we had “let go of control” by that point, I hadn’t realized the weight I still carried on my shoulders until the day that we made it through immigration in New York. We said a prayer together as a family and walked through those gates with confidence and faith.
Ellie even winked at the immigration officer on our way out the door….a trick she learned from the first time she met her Grandpa in Canada, a “middle location” we flew to a couple years before so our family could meet us there and meet their newest family member. (We got creative on how to keep our extended family connected with us amidst our inability to go to the US for three years!)
Reflecting back on how our family became a unit reminds me of the journey we are all on in life and how struggles almost always have a way of turning into blessings. Not only did our move to Singapore and the infertility battles give us a family, made Peter and I stronger and introduced us to incredible people along the way, we actually found God through the process, making our purpose that much more meaningful. We were anointed by the Holy Spirit and it was through this experience that God spoke to us and allowed us to learn about the gift of salvation given to us by Jesus Christ.
I know that faith is personal and religion, especially to my reading community is vast and diverse. I love each and every one of you as God’s children and pose no judgment on personal beliefs. I know that this journey is ours and it is what brought us to this point in our lives. Our faith and commitment to Christ works for us in ways we never knew it could and we are proud of that growth we have taken.
We stand here today as a united family but one with struggles and challenges to keep ourselves strong. We fight over stupid things, have difficulty controlling our anger and often take each other for granted. Even with a story like ours, we have a tendency to forget the bigger picture. Just writing these blogs has helped me to reflect on what is important and what I need to remember on a daily basis. I hope that it inspires you to do the same!