Unexpected Gifts

As a little girl, all I ever wanted to be was a wife and mother. I certainly had career ideas, but they were just things I could dabble in until Plan A was realized! Unfortunately, I made some poor choices in my twenties, and found myself in a very dark place - unsure how I would ever find my way to light, and quite certain that I would never be married or have children. I had no idea what God had in store for me! During this time, I found Joel 2:25, where God makes the following promise: "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten." Hardly daring to believe that this could be true for me, I continued to pray for a family of my own. After rescuing me and setting me on the path to restoration, God blessed me with a terrific husband and 3 beautiful adopted children. Already, this was far more than I had any reason to expect!

What has taken me completely by surprise, however, are the little touches of grace He has woven into our kids' personalities. As an adoptive mom, there are certain things I know I will never experience. I will never know what it's like to carry a child in my womb, and I have come to terms with this. I will never be able to gaze at my babies' faces and see features they inherited from Brian or myself. Again, not something that bothers me, just something that pops up once in a while. So, when I started observing personality traits that seemed eerily familiar, I was surprised! Here are a few examples:

• Last summer, one of my aunts told me that Rylie's fearless approach to big animals reminded her of me when I was a young girl. Rylie also loves symmetry (like me), insisting on equal treatment for both sides of her body - if you kiss one of her hands, you must also kiss the other one!
• Kolbie has some "OCD" tendencies, reminding me of myself (he insists on peeling the little stringy bits of peel off bananas and the white stuff off of oranges, he appreciates the importance of wiping public toilet seats before use, he doesn't tolerate dirty hands for long, and is just very particular in general!).
• Logan enjoys clothes-free living, which reminds me of a story I heard about Brian streaking down a hospital corridor when he was quite young! (I've heard stories of when he was a bit older, but I'll leave those for another time!!)

I know a lot of these traits are common to a lot of people, but I also believe they are gifts from God, little touches of grace to show us that these children were meant to be with us. That when He formed them He already knew who their parents were going to be. I am unspeakably grateful for them, and even if they weren't anything like me, I would still adore them to pieces. The fact that they resemble us in so many ways fills my heart with wonder and delight! They are such unexpected and beautiful gifts, and I can't thank Him enough for entrusting them to us.