“A car pulled up. I held my breath and watched as the 2-year-old, in an act of pure bravery, walked by herself up our steps. She was crying. I didn’t know what to do, so I just opened my arms.”
‘We have some kids that might be a good fit.’ Did she say KIDS? As in plural? We became an instant family.’: Foster parents welcome sibling group, ‘We plan to spend forever loving them’
‘I was alone in a dark delivery room. My husband called out, ‘Jill?’ His tone told me to brace myself.’: Mom births baby with Down syndrome, ‘She’s absolutely perfect’
“I had every negative thought you can think of. ‘Will she be okay? Will our lives revolve around hospital visits now?’ The little girl I envisioned was fading away.”
‘I’ve been a mom for 27 years. I still have no idea what I’m doing, but God does.’: Mom says ‘a family that prays together, stays together’
“I’ve watched him carry all the slack and fill in every gap as I’ve fumbled my way through the heart rush and heartache of raising three kids. When we pray, time seems to stand still. All the noise in the world fades, and we are able to experience the fullness of God’s abundant love.”
‘She’s been exposed to drugs.’ The last thing we needed was MORE kids. I accepted the challenge’: Mom of 4 opens home to foster kids, ‘It’s who we are now’
“The truth is, I needed another kid like I needed a hole in the head. Every place I looked, I would see something about foster care. God was trying to tell me something.”
I Became An Adoptive Mom At 50, Because It’s Never Too Late To Live Your Dreams
“I was loving life and living my dream…yet I knew I wanted more.”
‘Someone commented on my postpartum appearance. I cried instantly. You have a choice, every day. Will you heal or will you hurt?’: New mom receives hurtful comment, ‘It did a number on my heart’
“It did a number on my already-raw heart. A week later, I was FaceTiming my mother-in-law. I kept the camera angled towards my husband Luke—careful to ensure no one caught a glimpse of my healing body I was suddenly insecure about. During the call, I was thrust into the camera view.”
’26 years ago, he was laid into my arms for the first time. Love settled on me like a weighted blanket. I prayed for his health and happiness with every inch of my heart space.’: Mom says ‘the dreams we dare to dream for our children really do come true’
“Last weekend, we met on the dance floor for our mother-son dance at his wedding. This time when our eyes met, time stopped and his entire childhood flashed before me—every milestone and precious memory rose to the surface of my heart, slaying me to the core. Just yesterday, I was rocking him to sleep.”
‘Mismatched socks. In a world filled with chaos, mismatched socks add joy to my day.’: Mom urges ‘there are bigger battles’
“Keeping track of those stubborn mates for four girls is near impossible. Actually, it IS an impossible task, and I’m not willing or ready to even begin to tackle it.”
‘They let children go to TWO MEN? And she’s BLACK!’ She stood with a pen in one hand and paper in the other.’: Gay dads encounter judgement, ‘See the love, not the people”
“’How’d you get her?’ I responded, ‘We adopted her.’ Her eyes bulged. ‘I’m just in shock. TWO WHITE MEN?’’
‘I can’t foster. I’m a single mom!’ I dropped my daughter off at school and the phone rang. It was just the beginning.’: Mom becomes foster parent, ‘My singleness was a gift’
“Never in a million years did I think I’d be taking on foster care. ’Would you welcome in a 12-year-old girl?’ She was just 3 months older than my daughter.”