We've Been Matched!

As I sit here typing this, I imagine all of the mistakes I will make in the words ahead.  Forgive me if I do, but my mind is absolutely reeling.

I finished painting our child's room today and really love how it turned out.  It took several days to get enough coats and now it is so bright and happy.  We built the toy box last night and more and more we can see our little one romping around this room.  Today as I finished the last touch of paint, I sighed and smiled.

This afternoon I was cooking dinner when an odd number called my phone.  I didn't answer because we get lots of telemarketer/solicitor calls.  But after about 10 minutes my voice mail chimed, and I thought that really odd.  Who leaves such a lengthy voice mail?  We sat down to eat and I checked my message, then dropped my fork.  It was our agency!  (Ironically I remember thinking I would hear *her* voice and sure enough this time I did.)  She had called us from a different number which is why I didn't recognize it.

The message explained that a young woman northeast of us saw our book and "fell in love" with us.  She had originally chosen a different kind of family, but our agency decided to show our book anyway.  We are so thankful they did!  This woman has had a very hard time in her life, and more than ever she needs support.  She needs to know she's not alone.  There are other circumstances that I won't go into at this time, to protect both her anonymity and privacy as well as the privacy of this stage of the adoption, but ultimately she appreciated what she read about us and it moved her enough to consider us her number one family.

One thing she apparently really liked is the church we belong to.  She herself used to go to a church like ours and respects what we stand for.  She also loves to hike, just like us.

We will get more information in a few days and then if all continues to go well, we will meet her for dinner with her social worker and our agency president.  She really wants to see us face to face, and I completely understand that.  How can we begin to describe the enormity of her decision?  If I were her, I would need to know the potential family my child was becoming part of.  It would be essential to me.

Tonight I feel so completely....complete.  Not as complete as when we hold our child in our arms, but I feel like I can exhale.  I feel like things are moving and coming together.  I feel a sense of peace.  I feel tremendous excitement.  I feel sadness for what this young mother is going through.  I pray she sees in us what we believe we see in ourselves, and that everything falls into place.  I pray we are the forever family for this little one who will be here in January.  I pray, I pray, I pray.