Blessed By Adoption

Adoption. What an incredible gift; the giving of life, the giving of family, the giving of love.  Each year, November is recognized as National Adoption Awareness Month. Adoption is the reason I am the person that I am today. So here is a little piece of my story…

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I never remember finding out I was adopted. It was something that has always been a part of me and something that my parents helped me understand when I was very little. Early on, my mom would read me a book about adoption and let me know that although I did not come from her tummy like other babies, I came from her heart.

As I got a little older, my adoption was never really brought up – not because it was a delicate subject or difficult to talk about – but because, honestly, it didn’t matter and we didn’t think about it. I am my mom and dad’s daughter, and my brother and sister’s, sister. No matter what the circumstances were, they are my family.

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Now that I am a mom of two girls and have experienced pregnancy, the complete miracle of bringing a baby into this world, and a mother’s love for her child, I have thought about my adoption more than I ever have.

My birth-mom was a young girl who was faced with a very difficult decision. She knew the gift that she was given, she knew that God had a plan for the both of us, and she knew that plan was adoption.

She spent a lot of time working with the adoption agency to find my family, and luckily for me, my parents were doing the same thing.

My parents had tried to have a baby for almost 7 years before starting to explore adoption. They were in the starting process of adopting from Chile, when the agency called to let them know about me.

When the time came for my arrival, my birth-mom had already made her decision and my parents knew they would be bringing home a baby girl in a few short days.

I will never know how my birth mom handled what had to have been an emotional situation.  She had taken care of me for 9 months, brought me into this world, and then followed God’s plan to bless someone else with her baby.

I cannot even imagine…  I have so much respect for her selflessness and bravery and am forever grateful that she put my life first and in the hands of God. God was able to hand-select my parents and He knew that I was meant to be a Hardy.

Side note and fun fact… growing up, a lot of people had NO IDEA I was adopted!  My birth-mom and the guy both had fair skin, light eyes, and blonde hair. I, on the other hand, am covered with freckles from head to toe – just like my mom and my sister! My mom said she rubbed hers off her and onto us from all the holding and kisses she gave. I also have features that make me look similar to my Dad with our dark eyes… and for a pale, freckly girl, I get a decent tan – like him! Again, I am in awe of God’s plan.

Anyway, as the story goes, after my parents were told they would not be able to have kids and were in the process of adopting me, they found out 3 months later that they were expecting a baby!  This baby is my brother, Lee, and we are 10 months apart to the day. Then, not even 2 years later, another surprise for my parents arrived… a little baby girl! My sister, Meg!

Again, God’s plan is amazing!  I went from being what my parents thought would be their only child… to having a BROTHER and a SISTER to share life with! My list of things that I am thankful for just continued to grow and I am only 3 years old at this point!

Something else I would be extremely thankful for later in life (and something I have already written about in an earlier post,) is an incredible thing my mom was doing. She would write a letter to my birth-mom on my birthday every single year to let her know how and what I was doing. She also made a copy of each letter. When I turned 21 my mom gave me 18 years worth of letters that she had saved for me to keep!

Read more about the gift of documenting your children’s amazing moments here.

I have heard that sometimes children who are adopted feel like they were abandoned… and later in life can have emotional issues tied to that feeling of not being wanted. My mindset has always been the complete opposite. My parents wanted me, they prayed every day for me, they went through interviews and paperwork, and invested lots of time and money to get me.

I feel that I was the number one priority for my birth-mom and the number one priority for my parents. I have always felt wanted.

To any moms reading this that have put a baby up for adoption, I am so proud of you! I pray you never feel regret, uncertain, ashamed, or like you made a mistake. This sacrifice is an incredible gift and the absolute most selfless decision you can make. There are so many families praying for a baby and you had the ability to give them something they would never be able to create on their own.

I have never had any negative feelings towards my birth-mom and her decision to give me up for adoption. I respect her for it and am thankful every single day that she made that decision FOR ME!  Because of her decision to choose adoption, she gave my parents something they had lost hope on. Her decision gave me a brother and sister. Her decision put me in Rockingham where I met my best friends and the love of my life. Her decision led me to Appalachian State where I met my incredible squad. Her decision has given ME the gift of becoming a mom to two amazing little girls, and turning my parents into grandparents.

Her decision on adoption and my parents decision for adoption did not just impact me for one day, it has impacted my entire life… and I am forever blessed by adoption.

Has adoption impacted your life? I would love to hear your story!