As an adoptive parent, what we've waited & longed for

1. People often think JoyLynn is loud and brash. But that is only because she is so loud and brash.

2. JoyLynn does approach life a bit uniquely. True story: it is forbidden in our home to ever ask a question with both the word ‘why’ and ‘JoyLynn’ in it. Because there is never a logical answer…unless you count, “Because she’s JoyLynn”.

3. Too often though this boisterous personality unfairly hides an indescribable sweetness. At school they’re studying astronomy and she felt so bad that Pluto lost its planet status, she vowed this week to name one of her children after it so it won’t be forgotten and feel bad.

4. But…she also has far and away been our most ‘challenging’ child. Once I took a 2X4 (don’t make assumptions, keep reading), and every time she behaved rebelliously I instructed her to hammer one nail in the board. The board represented our relationship, the nail her disobedience and the hole the damage.

5. She didn’t get it. We ran out of nails, the board became completely filled so I tossed it and she complained that she couldn’t play with hammer and nails any more.

6. At the same time though…it was obvious JoyLynn felt lost and confused. Often and consistently she asked about the woman who gave birth to her and she speculated on what life would have been had she been raised in Charlotte NC and not Missoula MT.

7. My heart would hurt and I’d again share the story of the first moment I held her and in that second she became my daughter whom I loved more than anything and I would give up my life to protect her (and I would). The problem was, I knew my heart, but she didn’t - so I’d pray that God would replace her confusion with security, peace and joy.

8. This week we were looking at her baby book and her questions were different than in the past. Instead of focusing on where she came FROM suddenly she wanted to know the details of where she came TO.

9. She listened with a smile as I regaled her of the stories of the joy and excitement and the funny stories of her as a baby and how much we loved and adored her.

10. And then she softly said words I've dreamed about some day hearing, “I’m glad I was adopted into this family…there is no other family in the world I’d want to be a part of.” And I cried.