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Choosing Adoption

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

In early January of ’90 I’d been in the hospital. The morning after I got home we got a call from our lawyer. We had a court date for the adoption proceedings and no idea what to do now. The lawyer’s suggestion was to move ahead with the court appearance and see what the judge had to say about not having received that needed paperwork from India. We were awash with so many feelings. Happiness, fear, worry, not wanting to get our hopes up. Stefanie Kavitha had been with us nine months now. The thought of her ever leaving was just plain painful.

Then something strange happened. We were still sponsoring Leonardo through Compassion International and I got a phone call that same afternoon from one of the gals in the office. She said she’d just opened our payment and felt there was something very wrong.

We talked for a while and I told her I’d just had surgery, but she didn’t think that’s what it was. Then I explained what was happening with Stef’s adoption. She asked me if I cared if the office staff prayed about it (Compassion International is a Christian organization). I said I’d really appreciate it if they would. We found out a few weeks later that as soon as she hung up, they all did just that. Two hours later we got a call from Holt. India had just faxed over Stefanie’s release forms. I KNOW it was a bloomin’ miracle. So finally on January 17, 1990, Stefanie Kavitha became our legal daughter for good and always.

Stef and Bran graduation

Our rep from Holt told us that when Pushpa had agree to our proceeding with the adoption, she had neglected to have the warrant for our arrest rescinded. Once they realized that, it was easily fixed. The rep also told us it was the messiest adoption Holt had ever handled, but that we were TRULY blessed because two days after Kavitha flew out of Bangalore, India closed its country to international adoptions. It stayed that way for a long time.

Through all the ups and downs I continued to journal. The first one I’d started when we initially contacted Holt had been filled up the night we met Kavitha at the airport. The rest of the story is recorded in my personal journal. For her 16th birthday, I gave Stef that first journal. Then I sat her down and told her the whole story of her adoption. She has since been to Bangalore with friends but chose not to try to find her mother. She said her mother was here. And though it makes me sad that she didn’t want to see Pushpa, I can’t even begin to express what her words meant to me who had wondered all through that first journal if I would be a good enough mother for her.

me and Stef 2

I’m sure some of these dates are skewed. They’re there in my journal which I’m too lazy to drag out! But I CAN say with all certainty that though that first devastation of not being able to adopt from China nearly put an end to our search for a daughter, God went right ahead and hand-picked one especially for us. He was with us every step of the way. And SHE is so much like his lordship that you’d swear they were actually father and daughter.

Today Stef is married with three adorable little boys and a baby girl on the way. She says that’s it now, but she and Jesse would like to adopt a couple more youngens before their family is done. Did I fail to mention that she is a crazy woman? 😀

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Epilogue