Today, I was heading to the grocery store, but I had a feeling Max wouldn’t do well.  We had already been running errands for a little over an hour, so I decided to go to The Salvation Army to see if I could find any treasures.  I’m not sure that reasoning makes a lick of sense, but that’s what I did.  I was going to do a quick walk-through – maybe I would find a cool piece of furniture or some clothes for Max.

I found something much more amazing.

One of the workers was helping me figure out the price for a play kitchen set.  She looked familiar, but I didn’t really think much about it.

I went on my way to hunt some more.

As I was walking up and down the aisles, I heard another worker say the nice lady’s name.  It’s a unique, unforgetable name and it’s the name of the first birthmom we met when we were going though our first adoption journey.  It clicked and I realized why she looked so familiar.

I made a bee-line for her.

January 2010 An expectant mom wanted to meet us. We found out that she was from the Gary area, but was in a rehab center in our town. She would be having her baby in our very own city. This for sure was the baby God had for us! We met her and the meeting went really well. She had it narrowed down to us and another couple. We were her #1 pick. The counselor said, “Birthmoms almost always go with their first choice. It’s just to make sure that they made the right decision.”  She didn’t pick us. That was a humbling experience and we would love to know the reason she went with the other couple, but we know that God had other plans.

I started jabbering at her.  Understandably, she was looking at me kind of nervous.  I told her my name and then I’m pretty sure I said something ridiculous like, “Did you place a baby for adoption?”   Did I just say that out loud?

I told her my name again along with Wes’ name and she said, “Oh yeah!”  I then remembered how much she loved Wes.  She has good taste.

We just assumed that this uniquely-named, nice lady would move back to the Gary area.  I’m so thankful that God allowed our paths to cross again.

We hugged.  She told me about her little girl and how she gets pictures every 3 months…and this month is one of those months…and she’s checking her mail every day for those pictures.

She gave me an update about her life and I could tell that she was proud.  She has her older children back, she has a job and she has a house and I believe her.

I started to get all teary-eyed as I told her how humbling it was to not be chosen, but that we knew that God had a different plan for our family.  I wasn’t teary-eyed because of the not-being-chosen-part but because I was holding in my arms the different plan that God had for us.

God wants me to pray for her.  I just know it.

And I can’t wait to go back to The Salvation Army.

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Abby and her college sweetheart husband Wes began the journey of domestic adoption in 2009. Blessed with a (more than they had planned but oh so thankful for it) open adoption experience, they were able to witness the birth of their first child Max in the summer of 2010. Little brother Sam joined their team in September of 2012. Wes and Abby are trusting God as he leads them in their relationship with their sons’ birth families. You can follow their story at Akers of Love.