Motherhood as I knew it, is so far away from where I am now, that I likely wouldn’t recognize it! I know it is definitely God’s spirit and His love within that allows me to throw self-preservation and a longing for being emotionally safe and to embrace whatever He calls me to do for my babies.
We have made the decision to foster children because the need for loving willing people is GREAT. We imagined we would have little ones come, keep them safe and show them love until they went back home or to a family member. It never crossed our mind that God may have bigger, better plans for us! Children did in fact come and go, until we got the call for a baby that was in the NICU at the local hospital and had been they’re for 30 days. They trained us on a few medical things to prepare us, when we decided we could give her the care she needed. We were told about her being born at 26 weeks weighing only 2 pounds and that the last 30 days she had been a fighter. I wondered who has held her close and said “I love you”? We were told “Well when we feed her or have to do procedures we hold them. Right now we don’t have any volunteers that come in just to hold the babies. With so many babies and all that is going on it is limited.” Writing this now, nearly five years later my eyes are filling with tears, for I will never ever forget the moment we met her. Pure love just overtook me like a warm blanket covering me. I never again wanted her to not be held and loved on. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and soon they made us aware she would be available for adoption.
Our world is so concerned with what others think, placing a child for adoption opens you up to criticism. But if you choose to abort that same child, no one will know. I thank God daily that Ella’s birth mother chose life and to place Ella into our loving home.
Ella is a delight and will soon be 5 years old. She is funny, smart, caring, has great character and is beautiful! I seriously believe this world would not be the same without her! Parenting Ella has opened my eyes to so many things. One of which is there is a capacity inside of us all to love others wildly when we never expected to.
Written by: Jessie Bowles