I love this time of year and the season of fall. I love the crispness of autumn and the beautiful colors. But what I love the most are the feelings of gratitude and thanksgiving. I love getting together with family and friends and sharing what we’ve been thankful for in the past year. This holiday season, here are a few things I’m thankful for.
Foremost, I am thankful for family.
I never take for granted being able to be called “mommy” each day by our 4-year-old adopted daughter. Even on the “hard” days, I am thankful for our daughter. I know the hardship of infertility and how many people want nothing more but that title of mom or dad. I think about our daughter’s birth mother and the love and sacrifice she made for our daughter in her adoption decision.
Secondly, I am thankful for hope.
We had a whirlwind adoption process when adopting our daughter, but not without previously experiencing many setbacks and failed matches. We went through many times of grieving, but we always had hope that we would be parents one day. And now with our daughter, I wouldn’t change anything about our process because it led us to her.
I am thankful for support.
Unfortunately, not all adoptive families have the support of family and friends. It is a long tedious process that is hard to understand unless you have “been there.” I am forever grateful and thankful for our family and close friends that supported us through the hard times and rejoiced with us when our daughter joined our family.
I am thankful for the future.
I am thankful as we are working on our second adoption, that our next child will complete our family. I love not knowing what the future holds, but know that no matter what happens, I will be grateful.
This time of year is a great time to slow down, take a step back from the busy-ness of life, and think about the things we do have, rather than the things we don’t
