When I watched this story a woman who listed her wedding ring for sale to afford the adoption process, my heart sank. The desperate measures to become a mother… Oh, I know them well.
According to a television station in North Dakota, a woman–Zaundia Klingbeil–survived 13 miscarriages. 13.
When her dreams of mommyhood were just about shattered, she received a phone call. “We want you to adopt our baby.” Without hesitation, this woman’s family said, “Yes.”
There was just one problem, they told the TV station; they didn’t have the cash they needed to afford the adoption process. On top of that, the family anticipated this baby girl would have extra medical expenses. So, what’s a heartbroken mom to do? She had clearly incurred much heartbreak while expanding her family. And because money shouldn’t be a reason to keep a family from adopting, the woman decided to sell her wedding ring. Yes. Her wedding ring.
Bless this mother who wants to have another child of her own so badly that she is willing to sacrifice even her most prized material possessions to afford the opportunity to do so. Bless her. Bless this woman who, in the midst of heartache and tough decisions about a pending adoption, was forced to dodge comments from naysayers like, “Maybe God just doesn’t want you to have another child,” or, “Sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.” Bless her. Bless this mother who simply wanted to be the family this baby girl needed.
This family’s story was shared all over the internet. Thousands of people chimed in; many of them offered to be surrogates, many of them offered prayers of support, but some of them were just flat out rude. One person wrote: “Maybe God is sending her a message that he doesn’t want her to have kids.”
I don’t know about you, but when I look at this family’s willingness to get rid of material items for the sake of becoming a child’s forever family, I see selflessness. When I read that a woman is willing to sell what could be her most cherished piece of jewelry, I think she’s the type of mom we all want to be. Look, adoption is expensive, no matter what route you go. Private adoption is expensive. Foster care, though often times subsidized through state programs, can be expensive emotionally. Perhaps instead of putting others down for their choices, we should lift people up. Perhaps we should encourage them and help them, no matter how they choose to build their family. And perhaps this story is just a good reminder that material items are always secondary to a family’s love. Being a good mother means you’ll do whatever it takes for your children. Even if it means selling your wedding ring. Bless her.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed about financing your adoption, click here to learn about fundraising options or click here to learn about your loan options.
