Do you remember that moment you discovered the purpose for your life? Perhaps it was a series of moments that led to that discovery. Something happened- a diagnosis, a conversion, a tragedy- that created this weight on your heart for a cause, that cause. It was something big and painful and had an unforgettable impact. Maybe you didn't realize it at first. It started with an itch, a pulling at your soul, every time it was mentioned. Then it happened. You attended that fundraiser, you built that house, you donated your precious blood or organ. Or, in my case, I adopted a child. And that's when everything changed.
Nothing life-defining is ever easy. We are refined through the fire. And every passion is the result of pain.
Before I found my passion, I survived 6 miscarriages. Yes, I lost 6 pregnancies. 6 precious angels never survived to experience their first day on earth. I ran out of faith, friends ran out of wisdom, and doctors ran out of answers. And it damn near destroyed me.
Even though adoption was always in our plans, it does not erase the pain of pregnancy loss. And when I joined the adoption community, that's when I realized that I wasn't alone. I am not alone in infertility, in adoption, in having a love and longing for children. There are others struggling, too.
I knew I had a passion for children, especially those in need, before our infertility journey. I traveled to the slums of Mexico City once to work with children that had nowhere to go while on summer break from school and their parents were working in the city. That was the moment I knew I needed kids in my life. God just hadn't revealed how just yet. But after the pain of six losses and one failed adoption, I gave up on God and my idea of his plan. Then, I finally got to meet my daughter for the first time.
At that moment, while she was still in her birth mother's arms, I knew... I would do it again. 6 times, 100 times, 1,000 times. I would endure that pain for her. I would endure it for every child that needs a home. And every birth mother that needs to make that selfless choice.
Adoption is my passion. What is yours?
Your story is painful, but it has such a beautiful ending. I am so glad that you and your husband found your daughter. My passion is personally women's rights and education. It blows my mind that 2/3rd of the world's illiterate population is female, and, by simply educating women with the ability to read and write, given their central role in communities, they can be the catalysts for so much positive change from starting small businesses to standing up for their rights!
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