A Present

Today we bought a gift for our birthmother. It’s actually in the shape of a gift, a charm in the shape of a wrapped present. It is the second charm for the bracelet that we gave her on our first meeting. By my standards, it’s a nice bracelet with sentimental and charming charms (I’m secretly hoping to someday get a bracelet like this from R….shhhh). But we chose the present charm because we are reminded that she is giving us a gift - a gift of such supreme significance, there can never be a reciprocal gift. It’s also a gift that we do not deserve, and cannot do anything to receive. It’s a gift that will cause the giver hurt and anguish that I cannot imagine. And a gift that will bless the receivers with joy they’ve never known.


It reminds me of God’s grace. The very definition of a gift. It’s not earned, it’s undeserved, and it’s out of our control.


Right now, as we prepare to celebrate Christmas and to bring home our son, I am thankful for getting to celebrate Christmas and the gift of salvation. And I’m thankful for the example of God’s grace through the gift of adoption, and for our birthmother for her selflessness and love for our son.