
We landed in North Carolina, made our way to our rental car and hit the road.
Our first destination was 3 hours away and then we had another 3 hours until our visit.
We just started to drive….And then we started talking….. L started to film (because we are making a short documentary of the trip).
We talked about how one of our visits wasn’t happening because the adoption had “failed” (that’s the technical term for “shit hit the fan before it could happen”)…..I was so sorry I was not going to meet this family.
We talked about how nervous I was…….
We talked about why we thought the “Chosen” t-shirt didn’t sell…..
We passed a prison and we wondered if we had seen Bernie Madoff in the yard? (He’s in NC right?)
And then we saw a sign…….
A HUGE sign that said “Outlet Mall” next right!
Question: Where do you think three NYC girls (who have every retail store at their fingertips) want to shop?????
Answer: Discount!!!! We were in heaven…….
So we made our first stop (of what would become many) and had quite the successful trip to Gap (think $15 sun dresses)…after a pit stop at Dairy Queen for some fries, onion rings and diet cokes (think road trip diet)…..we were on the road again, headed towards our first “real” destination.
Shortly down the road, another billboard caught my eye. It read “Every 28 seconds a teenager gets pregnant in North Carolina”
And then while I was still processing that piece of information I saw another one that almost made me crash the car….
It read “ Breast Milk is the Best Milk. EAT AT MOM’S.” Had I not been so weirded out by this message, I would have turned around and taken a picture because I figure no one is going to believe us about that one…..I mean “Eat at Mom’s” Really?????
I regained my composure as we neared our destination and C called K to let her know we were getting close.
As we pulled into the driveway my heart started to flutter and I took a deep breath.
In unison the three of us said “That is the cutest house!” (It was) and we got out of the car and looked at each other.
We’d come a long way and had high hopes for this visit….I think both C and L knew how much this meant to me and we all just silently hoped it would be fabulous.
We rang K’s door bell and when she opened the door and smiled it was as if we were visiting an old friend.
“HI! I’m Becky” I said and I extended my arms to hug her. “I’m so glad to meet you. Thank you so much for letting us visit.”
I looked around the house for the man of the hour “Baby O” and she said “He’s asleep…but don’t worry he’ll be up before you leave.”
We made ourselves comfortable at K’s kitchen table and started to chat.
Just like two old friends.
Just like two moms.
Just like we’d known each other forever.
You would have never guessed we were just meeting for the first time.
We talked about K’s first son and his untimely death at 9 days old. We talked about the genetic testing that led them to adopting. We talked about the journey. We talked about the cost. We talked about the loans K and her husband had taken out for the adoption. We talked about the grant from Helpusaodpt.org and what a difference it had made.
K told me that the grant from Helpusaodpt.org meant more to them than just the money.
“The day you called it was a sign. It was a sign that someone else believed in us….believed in our journey. After all we’d been through; it was so encouraging to know that your organization was standing behind us. We weren’t alone anymore.” She said.
And that’s when my eyes welled up and a tear ran down my cheek.
“Thank you.” She said
I told her it wasn’t just me….
I told her that we have 700+ donors who believe in Helpusadopt.org and they are the ones that make our grants possible.
And as she smiled from ear to ear she said “Then please tell them thank you. Thank you more than they’ll ever know.”
And with that we all heard a little voice on the baby monitor.
K returned a few minutes later with “Baby O” and my eyes welled up again.
He was perfect. Just perfect.
“Hi my friend” I said as I waved at him….now I am sure I imagined this but I swear our eyes locked and just in case you don’t know me….I think this about ALL adopted babies…..
And then I got to do what I’ve wanted to do since we started awarding grants in June of 2008…..
I got to hold him.
And I thought to myself….this is the future of Helpusadopt.org. This little boy. This family.
And then for a brief moment I thought about all the people who told me not to create Helpusadopt.org.
I thought about all the people who said “it will be too much work”.
And I thought about all the people who said “it will take over your life”.
And while I won’t disagree that it isn’t a lot of work and it has taken over my life (in a good way)…..
I will tell you as I held that little boy and looked at the smile on his mother’s face that every minute has been worth it.
As we were packing up to leave, I asked K what they would have done had they not received a grant from Helpusadopt.org.
“I don’t know. I don’t think we could have borrowed any more money. But something would have worked out, I just don’t know what.”
I looked at K, with Baby O snuggling in her arms and I was so glad that she didn’t have to wonder how it would have worked out…..
Because I think it worked out just perfectly…..thanks, of course, to all of the people that believe in Helpusaodpt.org.
I am forever humbled by your generosity…..
Love much,
Xob
www.helpusadopt.org