I'm writing this because writing a letter is what changed my life.
26 years ago, I came into the world, four months early, to a woman who was in no way ready to be a mother. Her life choices and decisions left her unable to parent her children, however, that's just the beginning of the story…
A few months after my birth, a family was contacted to see if they'd be interested in taking a couple of babies...me and my twin brother who passed away at six months old. They said yes, little knowing what was ahead. Day to day life settled in, and a couple of years later a letter arrived. Somehow, my biological grandmother found the information of the foster family, and she chose to write a letter thanking them for giving her granddaughter a better life. When they had finished reading the letter, they took it as a sign from God that they were the ones who were supposed to keep me, and 24 years ago this past October, it was made official...they were parents again! They'd go on to adopt four others, bringing their total to eight (three biological and five adopted)!
Now, you're probably wondering what became of my biological mother. She ended up completely turning her life around, getting her degree, and becoming a teacher! She got married and had another baby. A ruined life became redeemed one, something I don't think would have happened without the gift of adoption. It was an opportunity for her to start again and a chance at a better life for me.
If I could tell you anything, it's that my life has been blessed beyond measure because of a choice, a decision that carried so much weight, but one we now know was the best for each life involved. I will never understand the depth of love and sacrifice it took and “thank you” seems far too inadequate, but that is where I find myself today...thankful for the life I’ve been given to live.
Maybe this letter finds you in a place where you have to make a decision regarding your baby or finds you full of questions and heartache after placing your baby or child in the hands of someone else. Maybe you’re like me, and your entrance into this world became the catalyst for a greater, better chance than you will ever know. I don't know where this letter finds you, but if you read nothing else, know you are loved beyond measure. Know that no matter what you are facing there is someone in your corner and you are not alone.
“You are loved today. Crafted into all of the molecular fabric that is exactly, purposefully, intricately who you are and uniquely everything that you were designed to be. To Whom It May Concern: we delight in you”-Levi The Poet
Love,
D.
