Childhood shouldn't hurt

"Childhood shouldn't hurt." This morning I heard a CASA worker on television say these words and they have been stuck in my head all morning. My Mom has had the opportunity to host another big family for a couple of days, and although I live it every day, seeing another family built from the ruins others have left has really touched me. I have watched in amazement as children who truly had no other option have shown tremendous ability in difficult musical arenas as well as in monumental feats like walking and talking. Because their parents chose to make a difference and follow God's plan for their lives, they have impacted these medically fragile children in ways they will never know. It reminds me just how blessed I am. It reminds me to keep close to my heart the great miracle God worked in my life when He chose my family for me. It reminds me that no matter what, with God and family by your side, nothing is impossible. Because people like my Mom and the couple she is hosting choose to parent us, we can overcome obstacles once thought impossible. Because of people like them, childhood no longer hurts.

I was talking to my loving husband about all this over dinner the other night, trying to explain to him how touched I was by the amount of love I felt at my Mom's house. I was talking to him about the six month old baby boy with no arms that the family had come to adopt and how absolutely beautiful he was and how I didn't understand how people could not want to parent the children God gave them. He reminded me that as cute and sweet as this baby was, I must have been too. He had me look at CJ and told me that there was no way I wasn't the cutest baby in the world, with big, dark eyes just like CJ. We then talked about how it wasn't about being cute enough and therefore worthy of love. It was about the birth parent. It was their issue, their loss and God had a bigger, better plan for me. Yes, I was born to someone different, but she was not my Mother. She carried me for someone else...period. She made childhood hurt, but my Mama came when I was eleven and stopped the bleeding and started me on the healing process. For that, I am eternally grateful. I am so blessed.