CLICK HERE FOR BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND MYSPACE LAYOUTS »

Friday, January 6, 2012

On my way to Japan!

So you followed my MAT journey on how a mommy of three could survive an intensive 1 year master program.

Now this crazy Mommy is headed to Japan where an almost 5 year old boy is waiting to be part of our family! In 12 short days, Jason and I and our 3 kids are headed to Japan.

Can't say when I played house when I was little that this is exactly what I dreamed of, but sometimes life leads you on an adventure that is much grander than any dream. I feel blessed to stand where I am and have my life surrounded by those I love. But this isn't a new dream either. Let's go back a bit, lets say to the late 90's.

A young college girl falls in love with a young college guy. EARLY in their dating, he springs it on her that one day he wants to adopt from Japan. She says sure, no problem not fully understanding the implications to this promise. Little did she know that in the exact same moment a seed to a dream was buried deep in her heart that she would have to fight to ever see come to fruition.

Yep, that was me. And Jason. :) Married at the ripe old age of 20 with high hopes of life and talk of a BIG family. But then something hit me as if the sky was actually falling and the weight of the universe seemed to suffocate my soul. In all my years I never dreamed that I would face infertility. It was one of the most crushing, heart breaking, and devastating diseases I ever anticipated dealing with. Somewhere in the middle of it, I believe God had a plan. We were blessed with little Noah despite a lot of odds.

But one child wasn't all I wanted. You'd think I'd be happy with what I got. But I like to have EVERYTHING I want. (you probably already know that about me.) That dream of adding children through adoption came back alive when one day we realized we had the love to give and only needed a child to share it with. In the fall of 2002, we became licensed foster parents for the State of Alaska. Foster Care is a WHOLE other post (maybe 50!) But again, despite it all, we finalized our adoption with our next two children, Wesley & Alicia in December 2006.

In the years between 1998 and 2006, I had sent e-mails to dozens of adoption agency requesting information and asking about the possibility of adopting from Japan. Japan just isn't a country that a lot of adoptions happen and year after year, agency after agency, I was told no.

Can I just say I hate the word "no"? Especially when you are telling me I can't do what I want to do!!

It was October 2010 and I ran across a blog that told about how they went about adopting from Japan and my heart was sparked again. I sent an email to the International Social Services of Japan introducing myself and asking if they would consider us as adoptive parents. That was November 9. On November 10, I had a long e-mail listing why adopting would be nearly impossible and very few children are available and so on and so on. But all I read that night was that I didn't get a "no!" In the words of some movie (Maybe Soul Surfer?), "I just need possible."

And now I stand here, at the brink of this impossible dream. What an adventure life has turned out to be!!