A Meeting of Mentors
As Dan and I set things in motion for Shiloh’s adoption, we felt the pull to gather a few mentors together to seek some wisdom and prayer. Adoption is a huge step, and although it felt natural to move forward, it did not come without moments of panic and big realizations of the unknown. Dan thought it best to surround ourselves with those we trusted most. We could also use the gathering to share our exciting news, but just on a small scale.
We planned an evening and gathered in our living room. My heart was in my stomach as we opened our hearts and shared how our journey was unfolding and how God was pointing us towards another beautiful child with an extra chromosome, this time through adoption. Their response was as beautiful as we anticipated, and the questions they asked were thought filled and made me and Dan really search ourselves and our intentions. I love this about deep honest friendships. Our village was not afraid to ask the hard questions for us to search our hearts and find peace with our decision.
As the night continued there in our log cabin, I felt the warmth of the familiar, but also the struggles of the unknown, as we were potentially welcoming another life into our already complicated journey. At one point, a dear friend said that, without a doubt, there would be hard in our decision. I knew this to be true but hearing a friend full of wisdom confidently utter these words made my heart take pause. I suddenly felt myself swirling down the “what if” tunnel, and my stomach churned.
Embrace the Hard
Then, in one single moment, my husband, who had been quiet for a few minutes, gently spoke words, that till this day, still embrace my fears and guard my heart. He simply said with confidence…
“Elizabeth, don’t be afraid of the hard”.
In an instant, my swirl of thoughts just stopped. God knew exactly what I needed to hear in that moment from the earthly man that I trusted most. Don’t be afraid of the hard. I said it over and over in my mind until my heart gently believed this truth. From this moment, I grabbed ahold of the unknown. I had no idea, at that time, that this simple phrase would become the cornerstone of our story.
Even now, my husband and I giggle after a hard day, high five each other, and simply say “embrace the hard”! (Then of course, immediately fall asleep!!!)
