It’s been two and a half weeks since we announced that we were hosting Lin, the 3-year-old superhero-in-waiting who was scheduled to come stay with us for a month this December.
And friends, in just two weeks, before he ever even ARRIVED ON THE SCENE, God CHANGED LIN’S STORY!
Because this superhero, who just at the beginning of this month was living temporarily with an aging foster family with grandchildren of their own, NOW HAS A FOREVER FAMILY SUBMITTING PAPERWORK TO MAKE HIM THEIR OWN!
God did WHAT?!?!
One week after we announced Lin on the blog, a beautiful friend I’ve loved since elementary school but haven’t seen for years emailed me to tell me that she and her husband were incredibly interested in learning more about Lin … and hopefully adopting him.
Full confession: At first, I screamed for joy! Because in His goodness, God provided a potential family for this sweet boy BEFORE HE EVEN ARRIVED!
And then, I cried. Because if I can be totally, brutally honest, I thought that maybe, possibly, after God had whittled our hosting down from two girls to a girl and a boy to just THIS boy who reminded us so much of our Superman, that he might possibly just be ours.
But because of my husband’s job (a position he ADORES but that requires that he be gone seven to eight months a year for the last three years), we just didn’t feel like we could responsibly commit to bringing home a child who had been abandoned and provide a stable, secure, two-parent environment. At least not until Super-Spouse moved to a different job.
Which is why we chose to host to advocate and NOT to host to adopt.
I emailed Super-Spouse to share with him the good news, and he responded the same way I did — with rejoicing for Lin, but with a twinge of sadness for us.
And then that man — the one I love so much and who never ceases to amaze me with his wisdom and his kindness — said, “Michelle, we prayed for God to give us a bold answer about whether or not to adopt Lin. And then this family you love so much emailed you. God probably wouldn’t call another family if we were supposed to be the one.”
And, he continued, we can’t just ignore God’s answers to prayer just because we don’t like them.
And that’s Reason 5,305,305 I love that amazing man so very much.
After I heard from Super-Spouse, I emailed this precious woman I’ve known and loved for almost 30 years — this woman who gave me my first “Best Friends” necklace in 5th grade and took me to her family’s lake house in middle school summers and who once even cut my hair when I was dying for some stylish, “in” do — and I asked her, essentially, if she felt about Lin the way that WE felt about Superman the first time we saw his file. Because if she did, we not only wanted her to ADOPT this sweet boy who had already stolen our hearts — we wanted her and her family to host him also. Because we host with the intention of finding forever families for superheroes in need. And we didn’t want to host a superhero who already HAD a forever family. And we didn’t want to create another transition for a deserving child who could meet his forever family NOW.
This beautiful friend, who has reminded me in the last two weeks through trial after trial what an absolute FIGHTER she is, wrote back and let me know that yes, she and her husband felt the same way about this little boy as WE did when we saw OUR little boy for the first time. And they were committed to doing whatever it took to make this little boy their own.
And although I thought I might cry, although I thought I might grieve, I read this email at 4 a.m. on a Saturday … and I simply rejoiced.
Because this precious boy has a FOREVER FAMILY!
Because this precious boy has a BEAUTIFUL MAMA!
Because this precious boy has three people who have already in the last two weeks fought like CRAZY to submit paperwork, contract a homestudy agency, secure time off and quickly bring this boy HOME. Because this little boy not only has SOME family who wants him — he has a BEAUTIFUL FAMILY. A family that loves him like crazy already. A family that will provide for him and protect him and EMPOWER HIM like almost no other family I know.
His forever family — I can tell already that they are just perfect for him.
From the moment I read that email, there was no doubt in my heart or in my mind that THIS family would be AN AMAZING family to not only host, but raise this little boy who will always hold a precious place in our hearts.
We just had the privilege of introducing him to his forever family. <3
So as of last week, Lin not only has a forever family submitting paperwork to adopt him — we’ve worked with our agency to ensure that he has his forever family as a HOST FAMILY THIS WINTER, too!
To hold him.
To love on him.
To keep him safe until he is 41 years old, as my friend’s sweet 3-year-old told them after watching and rewatching the videos of this perfect little boy. (Poor Lin, his mama said she doesn’t know what will happen to him when he turns 42.)
And today, we just rejoice with them.
To Chuck and Betsy Swope, Lin’s new family, my sweet friend for three decades, a woman who has been a presence and an inspiration in my life longer than I’ve known my husband, THANK YOU.
Thank you for loving a boy who already holds such a special place in our hearts. For CHOOSING to walk into unknown territory with a boy who has medical needs that may seem strange and unfamiliar. To march BOLDLY into adoption when you’ve never experienced the journey called “adoption” before. And to love us enough to keep us involved in this life that is so precious to us already. The fact that you would so intentionally include us and let us KNOW how we can be a part of his journey means the world to us.
We couldn’t have asked for better host and potential FUTURE parents for this very special, very perfect little boy. And I can’t WAIT to watch this journey unfold before our eyes.
We love you, and we are here to walk every step of this crazy and rewarding and stressful and sometimes grueling path TOGETHER.
THANK YOU for choosing to love this little boy all of us so deeply adore. <3