Today

My heart felt a little heavy today.  Despite the fun of taking Gabe to the children's museum and  perusing IKEA with my mom I just couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something.  Tonight as I was browsing through amazon I realized that today was July 27.
July 27th is a very important day in the LaGorga family.  Just 3 short years ago we walked into our attorney's office nervous, hesitant and afraid of the tiny bit of hope burying itself in our hearts.  After 2 hours of conversation, laughter and a few tears doors were closed and quiet conversations took place.  I don't know what was said behind one of the closed doors.  Behind the second closed door Matt prayed for God's will; for us, our future family and the little boy in the next room yet to be born.  Me?  All that I could do was repeat something along the lines "please, God we already love him so much."  The doors were opened and Miss B asked us to be the parents of the little boy she had already named Gabriel.
 
We left the office filled with hope, joy and a new found love for our soon-to-be-born son. 

Today I am so happy that Gabe's birth parents chose adoption for him and picked us to be his parents.  My life has never been more complete since becoming Gabriel's mother. 

But today I'm also acutely aware of the loss involved in adoption.  Maybe it's because I've been praying a lot for our next little ones birth family or perhaps I'm just more aware of all that adoption entails.  Adoption is wonderful gift from God, it's redemptive qualities are powerful but all adoptions include some loss.  The loss of dreams, hopes, relationships...  adoption is hard, so very worth all the hard parts but hard all the same.   Tonight, I just pray that Miss B and Mr C have peace in their hearts about Gabriel; that they know grateful and humbled we are to be his parents, that he is doing so well and that Gabe will always know his adoption is a story of the sacrificial love of his birth family and the unbelievable love of our God.

LEGACY OF AN ADOPTED CHILD

Once there were two women who never knew each other
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother

Two different lives shaped to make you one
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it
The first gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it

One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name
One gave you a talent, the other gave you aim

One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears
One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried you tears

One made an adoption plan, that was all that she could do
The other prayed for a child, and God led her straight to you.

Now, which of these two women, Are you the product of?
Both, my darling, Both, Just two different types of love.
---- Unknown