Almost to the finish line

I have sat and tried to put the last few months down in writing. It has been hard so bare with me as I try. Feel free to scroll to the bottom for the exciting news. 😉 I know so many are praying and we are so unbelievably grateful. 

It has been a heavy few months, and really just now realizing how heavy. It has been filled with A LOT of waiting. We have completed our TPR trials (termination of parental rights).  It was a very serial thing to be a part of. On one hand we were so happy and excited at the possibility of Elle being ours forever, but for that to happen there was another side who were about to experience a huge loss. 

The thing with foster care is that no matter what direction the child’s story goes there is always loss , and you are always bracing yourself for what that loss will look like. We heard someone in a training a few months ago say that foster care is full of happy sad moments. It was a big relief to hear someone else say that because it was exactly how we were feeling. We have felt the sadness/loss in a child returning to their birth family, and at the same time feeling so much happiness for what the family had accomplished. We felt like we were losing something, but the truth is we gained so much! This time I was very aware of the fact that we were gaining the most amazing gift, but the other side was was not going to receive the joy in the loss.

 I was caught off guard at the sadness that accompanied our joy. I felt a sadness for her birth family that I still haven’t fully processed.  My heart hurts for Elle’s birth mom. It’s crazy to be so upset at someone for choices that they are making, and in the same breath be so heart broken for the brokenness that they are in.  It has made me more and more aware of how grateful I am for the grace of God.

EXCITING NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have been given the green light to adopt Elle!!!  The appeal window is done and we will hopefully be signing our adoption contract on Tuesday!  We are so grateful and completely honored that God has chosen us to take care of and raise this amazing little girl. God has used her to teach and stretch us over the past 619 days.  We can’t imagine our life without this beautiful, joyful, smart, sassy little girl.  She has been through so much, and come so far. It is totally the hand of God.  

We will keep everyone posted on when we get to officially call her an O’Neal!!!!!