I found this little "parable" on the blog of a family here who just adopted a little girl and I loved it. Thank you everyone who has been helping and supporting us. I have the most wonderful family and friends!
ADOPTION IS LIKE AUSTRALIA
Deciding to have a baby is like planning a trip to Australia. You've heard it's a wonderful place, you've read many guide-books and feel certain you're ready to go. Everyone you know has traveled there by plane. They say it can be a turbulent flight with occasional rough landings, but you can look forward to being pampered on the trip. So you go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for a ticket to Australia. All around you, excited people are boarding planes for Australia. It seems there is no seat for you; you'll have to wait for the next flight. Impatient, but anticipating a wonderful trip, you wait --- and wait --- and wait.
Flights to Australia continue to come and go. People say silly things like, "Relax. You'll get on a flight soon." Other people actually get on a plane and then cancel their trip, to which you cry, "It's no fair!" After a long time the ticket agent tells you, "I'm sorry, we're not going to be able to get you on a plane to Australia. Perhaps you should think about going by boat." "By BOAT!" you say. "Going by boat will take a very long time and it costs a great deal of money. I really had my heart set on going by plane."
So you go home and think about not going to Australia at all. You wonder if Australia will be as beautiful if you approach it by sea rather than air. But you have long dreamed of this wonderful place, and finally you decide to travel by boat. It is a long trip, many months over many rough seas. No one pampers you. You wonder if you will ever see Australia. Meanwhile, your friends and family have flown back and forth to Australia two or three more times, marveling about each trip.
Then one glorious day, the boat docks in Australia. It is more exquisite than you ever imagined, and the beauty is magnified by your long days at sea. You have made many wonderful friends during your voyage, and you find yourself comparing stories with others who also traveled by sea rather than by air. People continue to fly to Australia as often as they like, but you are able to travel only once, perhaps twice.
Some say things like, "Oh, be glad you didn't fly. My flight was horrible; traveling by sea is so easy." You will always wonder what it would have been like to fly to Australia. Still, you know God blessed you with a special appreciation of Australia, and the beauty of Australia is not in the way you get there, but in the place itself.
13 years ago
4 comments:
Wow, that's a great story. It really gives a great perspective and teaches us about life and love. Thanks for being willing to teach us through your experience. Love you guys!
Wow, that made me kind of tear up a little bit. I just heard from Laci Whyte and they adopted a brand new little baby girl! I think she was born just a few days ago and it was only a month ago they were chosen by the birthmom. I think they waited for a year. Not too bad of a wait, right? Anyway, it's exciting to see it happen for people. I hope you guys don't have to wait too long either. We've decided to adopt too and today we filled out the very first piece of paper to begin our adoption process....only a million more things to do!
I loved that! I am going to pass it on to a few other friends/family who are adopting. Hope all is going well! Love ya!!!
What a great analogy! It makes me ache for how hard it must be, but makes me so excited for what is coming! I know it can take time, but on a postitive note, I have also seen it happen very fast too!
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