MommEEEEEEE

OK, first let me say that I really do, honestly, truly, with ALL of my heart LOVE my kids!!!!!! :) I do mean that. I am SOOOO thankful for them. Even when they frustrate me, I love them more than I could ever describe with words. And I love all of them. A few Sunday's ago there was a national emphasis on adoption. I spoke at our church and showed several videos about adoption. It is one of my deepest passions, because it is what God chose for my life. It is what I believe He created me for - to be a mommy to my children, whom He so lovingly decided to give to me through adoption. My main point that Sunday was that it is "love" not genetics that makes a parent a mommy or daddy. I believe that with all that is in me. My kids are MY kids - period, end of discussion. And I would like in some ways for it to be "end of discussion". As in, it doesn't really matter that they were adopted, they are just simply my kids; no need to talk about it anymore. BUT... I also feel a need, a "calling" to encourage others to adopt IF God is leading them in that direction. I also want to show others that God chooses to bless some parents with kids by conception; and He chooses to bless some parents with kids by adoption - and both are blessings, both are equally the parents of those children. There is such a common misconception that adopted children can't be loved as much as biological kids. I think that happens because people who haven't adopted simply haven't experienced it firsthand. Whatever the reason; I want people to see that there is no difference :) And... it is true that the people close to me see my kids as mine. I don't have anyone that I know personally that questions my love for kids, or my true identity as their mom. They don't question it, because they can see first hand how much I love them; and how we are just as much a family as their families are to them. It is people that I meet on the outside of my circle, that ask - "are those all yours" or similar questions (usually asked innocently with no harsh intentions).

This wasn't what I was going to write about when I started, but I am thinking now about the similarity to how it is hard for some people (me included sometimes) to truly view ourselves as children of God. Yet the Bible is very clear that when we acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and love him; we become his "adopted" children with every right that comes with being the son or daughter of God. That was Matt's message that Sunday. He held up our son Scott's adoption papers, and read the legal binding document that stated that Scott is OUR child, with every right as a "natural born" child. The same with God, when we accept the gift He has given for us in His Son; when we allow Him to take the place in our lives that He so desperately wants - to be our Daddy, we are truly His. Not a watered down version of belonging to him.... but TRULY belonging to God, our Father, who "loves us beyond what words can describe". Isn't that amazing!!! ;)

OK, now to what I had originally set out to say...I waited for a long time to feel the right to be called "mommy". Only God could count the amount of tears I shed wanting so desperately to hear those words from MY child - "mommy". I have to say, I still think of that sometimes, and it makes me very grateful and thankful to God for blessing me SOOOOOO much!!! I thank Him SOOOOOOO much for my kids, they mean the world to me! BUT.... (always has to be a but - lol) I don't think any of my other kids OR 30 foster kids have EVER said "mommEEEE" as many times in one day as our foster baby does. I love him just like I love Madi, Ty, and La - but oh my goodness; sometimes I just really wish he would not say it quite as much - lol. The thing is, he calls everyone mommy, so no matter who he wants or is looking for/asking for - he says mommy. It is still beautiful to my ears that I am called "mommy"; but even the most beautiful music in the world can be annoying when repeated over and over and over constantly ;) I don't want him to stop calling me mommy, I just wish he would call everyone else by THEIR name; and would not repeat my name quite so many times in one day ;) If he ever leaves our home, I know I would miss hearing "mommEEEE"; so I need to appreciate it.....just hard to do sometimes ;)