The Power Of Giving

I opened the mail box.

It was my birthday, so I half expected a card amidst the bills and flyers.  Instead, I found an envelope with a check from our church inside-- an anonymous donation had been given to the church to go towards our second adoption.

I was already sniffling from a cold I contracted while in Cheyenne the week before (side story! Stuck at the Cheyenne mall while my car had repairs done, we played for hours in the children's play area.  Josiah was at first scared of the tunnels, so I crawled through them with him.  I was the only adult willing to do this, resulting in all of the germs of all of the little visitors to rub off on my adult body.  Hence, a cold a week later.), but I sniffled a little more as I cried over this check.

In all of my years as a church-going Christian, I don't remember hearing a lot of sermons (if any) on the topic of how to accept gifts.  I remember being told to be grateful, but when it came to giving and receiving I was told to be generous, give to others, focus on sharing.  Until our first adoption I never had to think about it-- we were usually on a giving end.

If you have ever wondered while you anonymously gave to someone if your donation meant much... or if you have ever received help from someone else... ours is a story about what can happen with the kindness of others.  Your generosity, large or small, can change lives.  Receiving that generosity can change yours.

When we decided we wanted to adopt, we knew that having a child in our arms was more important than our pride and knew we couldn't do it without other people.  We stepped out on a limb asking for funds, something I had never done.  It was scary and at first, a little embarrassing.

But then I felt an overwhelming blessing to know that people were willing to sacrifice, be it a small or large amount, for my husband and I to become parents.   Before then, it was easy for me to feel as though I didn't matter much to those around me, that I was easily overlooked.  But there I was, with people investing in my future.

Knowing the process a little better, we chose a new agency with our second-- we do more grunt work and have to pay less.  Something we feel comfortable doing now that we've been through it.  Thanks to an adoption tax credit, our savings, donations and a refund, we were able to almost break even the first time.
We decided, being so close to the last adoption, we really didn't want to ask others for help a second time.  We were able to borrow the funds necessary from my parents and have been saving diligently to pay them back.  Even though it was a sum less than the original, it is still a larger sum than we would ever have just "lying around",

Without even asking, we've had sweet gestures.  Ranging from large to small, monetary to not.  We've had people share our profile on their Facebook pages (multiple times, even!), to offering to drop everything and accompany us to wherever the birth happens so we have someone who can care for Si while we navigate the hospital.

I'm not sure, really, how I am supposed to respond other than with simple gratitude, which is all I can give, really.  In every way I can I will pay these generous acts of kindness forward.  In every way I can I will instill the same generous spirit in my children.  I will be the very best mom I can be to give the most value to your investments.

And I will say thank you, again and again (I know this isn't my first time expressing my gratitude and it won't be my last).

Without the generosity of others, I wouldn't be a mom right now.  If you want to talk about changing someone's life, going from not a parent to a parent is pretty major!

So with that, I encourage you all to go out and give to those around you.  Offer your help, offer your time, give some money to those who need it.  It changes lives.  It changed mine!