Waiting to adopt is a marathon . . . a goal at the end you know will be beyond your wildest imagination, but it’s a marathon to get there. Not a marathon of activity, but a marathon of waiting. Plodding the every day. Trying to keep the mind from wandering.
For me, the hardest part of waiting is, in fact, keeping my thoughts on the here and now and what I know to be true. Often, I battle against this:
This is taking too long. Adoption will never happen. What if this or that is a sign? What if? Oh no.
This will work out. Just a bit longer. I can feel it in my bones.
Should I email my case worker . . . just so she remembers we’re here . . . waiting? No, I shouldn’t. But maybe it’d be okay. Some news is something, right? Well, I don’t want her to think I’m a stalker.
Hello, God, are You there? Want to give me a quick peek into the future?
When that call or email does come from the case worker, another aspect of the waiting game reveals itself: The tidbits of information scenario. In international adoption, you may find out about progress in your application or even receive a match with a child. But you always want more info. And in domestic adoption, waiting families can encounter multiple situations where their profile books are shown. You wait for the agency to show your book. You wait for the response. Wait. Wait. Wait. And if a match is made, you wait until 48 hours after the birth for placement. Wait. Wait. Wait.
Please know that I ADORE adoption, but as with most beautiful creations, the adoption journey has its hard moments, even weeks. Yet, what’s that saying? Good things come to those who wait.
So, if you are in the waiting season–whether waiting for a match, for placement, or even for a “positive” from that darn pee stick–know that it is okay to acknowledge the pain, the frustration, the scariness of it all. It’s okay to cry it out. It’s okay to wait.
You are not alone, friend. I’m right there waiting with ya.