Gifts

At the beginning of this process, one of the ways I weeded through the many agencies we had to choose from was by reading and posting on a variety of adoption related Yahoo Groups.

One of the people who responded to my inquiries stood out. First of all, she lived in our state and I was hoping to connect with other local families who looked like ours was about to look (little did I know how many amazing families I would have the privilege of meeting along this road). Secondly, she mentioned that she was on the wait list for siblings. Mark and I were drawn to the idea of siblings from the very beginning but at that point I still had some fears and doubts about wait times, older child adoption, and the sheer craziness of adopting two at one time. I went back and forth over email several times with this woman and her words really helped me move past some of those fears and embrace what was in my heart. She was also instrumental in my decision to go with Gladney, a decision that we are extremely happy with, but that’s for another post.

About a month after this email exchange, the gentleman who runs our agency's program in Ethiopia, Belay Tafesse (wonderful person also worthy of his own future post), was in town for a dinner with local Ethiopian adoptive families. We didn't know any of these other families at the time and primarily attended the dinner hoping to meet Belay and get some additional advice about adopting siblings (I wrote about that conversation here). We walked into the event and randomly sat down at a table where a few people were already seated. After introductions and about twenty minutes of small talk (if you can call adoption talk small), one of the women said something, I don't remember what, but a light bulb went on.

Me: "Wait, are you Monique DRUCKER???"
Monique Drucker: "Well, yes, I am..." (As her husband turned to me with the funniest "how the heck do you know that" look).

You probably have guessed where I'm going with all of this. Monique was the woman I had emailed back and forth with, and so began my very first adoption friendship.

Over the year and a half that has transpired since, Monique has proven to be an incredibly supportive friend and a beautiful example of how to get through this crazy roller coaster of a process. As time went on, our paths became more and more intertwined. Last summer and again this winter we thought that things might align in such a way that we would be traveling together. Theirs is not my story to tell but suffice it to say that the Druckers have had the hardest and longest adoption story I have yet to hear, at least with our agency. Monique weathered that journey with poise and grace at every heart wrenching turn and I sometimes wonder how I would have handled some of our harder moments without her example to follow.

But that was then and this is now and today it is a happy story I get to tell. Monique and her husband and mother are in Ethiopia this week meeting THEIR TWINS. She has been posting from Ethiopia on her blog - go see! I can’t wait to meet these beautiful kids and I love that our children will grow-up knowing another set of twins who share this part of their story.

Of course Monique has also met THE twins this week (the ones that the moon and stars orbit around in this house). In fact, she had the presence of mind to meet them shortly after meeting her own children on the very first day they arrived, and she was back again today to deliver care packages and spend a little more time with them. She sent me the most wonderful email this afternoon describing their personalities, reporting that they are happy and healthy and adorable and smart, and that we are going to "have our hands full"! She actually said the hands full part twice.

Two and a half year old twin boys a handful? Really? You think????????

I like to believe that coincidences are actually signs, evidence that we are on the right path. There have been so many signs along our way to these boys, Monique truly being one of them. Her friendship is also one example of the many gifts that come with adoption. We are blessed. We are on the right path. And the two best big handfuls of gifts are coming very soon!

These are the gifts that Monique delivered to the boys today. Apparently the balls were a huge hit! There were also two little Dr. Seuss books and some socks and undies that I didn't get a picture of. Thank you for everything, Monique!!