December 1st, 2008
Welcome to the Livingston Family Blog!
While not being super net savvy, we think this is a wonderful way to keep our friends and family updated on our adoption journey. For those that do not know our story, here it is.
Denise lost her husband Wiley, and their two children, Morgan and Parker, in a plane crash on July 4, 2003. Denise was a devoted stay-at-home mom. She knew she wasn't done being a mommy. So, Denise looked into adoption. While she knew she wasn't ready to adopt at that time, she went to an informational meeting and learned about the Waiting Child Program through Chinese Childrens Adoption International. These are children with slight handicaps or deformities, lowering their chances of being adopted. Denise was touched by these children and eventually established the Wiley, Morgan & Parker Fund to give grants to families adopting these amazing children.
As of November 2008, Denise has raised over $180,000, given 10 grants totaling $55,000 to help bring 10 children to the US. For more information on the WMP Fund please visit www.wileymorganparker.org
While adopting was always a part of Denise's new life plan, she didn't expect to fall in love again. Steve and Denise met only 10 months after the accident and started dating a few weeks later. While neither were looking or needing a serious relationship, it only took a few months before they knew they had something incredibly special. Steve proposed on the anniversary of their first date, and they married 14 months later in beautiful Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Steve knew that adopting was a part of Denise's future, and has happily joined in the dream of bringing a new child into their home. Steve's children from a previous marriage, Tyler and Taelyn, will make great role models for their new sibling.
Over the last 2 years, Denise & Steve have researched, visited, and been to many adoption meetings, both in person and online, and had many discussions before ruling out domestic adoption, and other countries like China and Kazakhstan because of various reasons.
Steve & Denise finally deciding on the agency and country they wanted to adopt from. They chose Ethiopia because of the need, less restrictions and it just simply feels right. We both trust our gut and intuition in our lives, and so far it has led us to our amazing lives together. Our adoption journey is no different. We really feel our child/children is/are waiting for us somewhere in Ethiopia.
Internation Adoption Net (IAN) has been wonderful so far. It is a small, local, non-profit agency that has been there every step of the way.
To our family and friends, thank you so much for the love and support you have already given us. We are so grateful we can surround our child with so much love and caring.
To our child/children out there.
We love you.
We pray for you.
We are making our way to you.
We will be so honored, grateful and happy to forever make you a part of our loving family.
1 comment:
I am so very happy for you both! and thank you for including us in your journey. Being an adoptee my self I wanted to share with you two poems that have always been in my babybook.
Not flesh of my flesh
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously
My own.
Never forget
For a single minute:
You didn't grow under my heart
But in it.
Once there were two women who never knew each other.
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.
Two different lives shaped to make you one.
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.
The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love. The second was there to give it.
One gave you a nationality. The other gave you a name.
One gave you a talent. The other gave you aim.
One gave you emotions. The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile. The other dried your tears.
One sought for you a home that she could not provide.
The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.
And now you ask me, through your tears,
the age-old question unanswered through the years.
Heredity or environment, which are you a product of?
Neither, my darling. Neither. Just two different kinds of Love.
© Author Unknown
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