Cary and Charity

First, I want to say how grateful I am for you and how thankful I am to be considered as the adoptive mother for the baby you’ll soon welcome into this world.  I imagine there have been many difficulties and challenges along the way, but please know that I am praying for you during this entire journey.

I was raised in a loving Christian home along with my two brothers, one sister, and several dogs who were part of the family too.  My mother and father made faith and family the foundation of our home.  From my earliest memories, I was taught that God loved me, had a plan for my life, and offered me forgiveness and friendship forever.  My parents modeled this commitment within their marriage and made it a priority that as kids we always saw each other as best friends.  This meant that at the end of the day, if we had argued or experienced conflict – as siblings often do – we were encouraged to say we’re sorry, forgive each other, and make up.  Although this seemed the normal way our parents raised us, as a parent now, I see the priceless value of ensuring this kind of peace and love within the home.  Outside of my relationship with my husband, my brothers and sister remain my closet friends.  I’m so grateful to my parents for giving me such a wonderful foundation.

My husband grew up in a home much like mine.  His mother and father raised him and his sister to be active in church and serve others.  Because his father was in the military, the family moved around quite a bit.  But this made his family stronger and more supportive of each other.  My husband still talks about the way his mother and father were a unified front for him and his sister even during difficult seasons of moving to new places.  He saw the value of patience in his parents and the importance of a husband and wife always being on the same page.  This remains very important to both of us as we know that children thrive when mom and dad are in agreement.

My husband and I have sought to create the same kind of loving, nurturing environment in our home that we saw growing up.  Our children are happy, have lots of fun, love each other, and have remained the best of friends.  Like our parents, we have made faith in God the foundation of our home.  As Christians, we seek every day to live out our faith in the way we love and support one another and reach out to others.  Children are gifts from God!  It’s our desire and lifelong prayer to raise them to know and experience God’s love, and share that love with others.

I suppose if I were to sum up the way we raise our kids, I would express it in three words: prayer, encouragement, and love.  First my husband and I pray for our kids.  We know that they are each a special creation with a unique personality, unique strengths and gifts.  We regularly pray that we might raise them to discover who they are as a child of God and how God has fitted them to make a big difference in this world.  We also believe in the power of encouragement.  Just as we celebrated when our older children took their first baby steps, so my husband and I continue to praise and encourage our children whenever they grow in their maturity and love for others.  Even when there are challenges, we look for opportunities to learn and grow.  Encouragement is at the heart of this.  Finally, it’s our desire to see our children experience the joy of loving others.  As a family we always try to keep our arms open to those in need.  In fact, I believe the purpose of a strong family is not only to experience God’s love within the home, but to share that love outside the home with the world.

As a big family, we have lots of love to give to a little one who might need a strong and loving home.  If we should be selected as the adopted family, we would welcome our new child just as we have welcomed the ones who’ve been born to us.  I have four small children who are very excited about loving their new little brother or sister.  He or she will be no different than our others – a gift from God to be loved, nurtured, and cherished.  If we are chosen we will always speak of you in the most positive light.  I understand the joys and pressures of having a baby, and realize that raising a little one in the midst of these pressures can be challenging, even overwhelming.  Therefore, when our adopted child begins asking questions about his or her birth mother, my response will always be to support you 100%, and praise your decision to entrust your child to a family that will be their source of love and support for the rest of their life.  What an act of love and trust.

Thank you!