Adoption throughout my life

When I was 5, I was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. In 1985, that meant a shorter life span, high risk pregnancies--if you could sustain a pregnancy, which meant I would either need to adopt or I would have fewer children than I wanted. (Thankfully, research has changed....and my life span is no longer shortened!)


ADOPTION Experience #1 I made the choice...
I decided when I was very young that whatever the case was, I would adopt babies! This was a choice I got to make. (Thankfully my sweetheart has been supportive of this decision since the days of our courtship.)

Not all the adoptions in my life were choices I sought out.

Some of them found me.

Adoption started early in my life. I had three brothers, and that put us as four kids in five years. (Yes, all my dad had to do was look at my mom and she got pregnant.) Nonetheless, most of the people I hung out with were boys. I always had one good girlfriend, but for the most part, I knew boys. I remember Jeff Carson saying to me, "Brandi, we can tell you anything about the girls we like because you are one of the guys." It was official.

ADOPTION Experience # 2 ...it found me....

I was adopted into the boys group. I was one of the guys. I liked the feeling of belonging.(except when I was 16, and all those boys called me SIS.) It was always funny to me that other girls were jealous that I really was friends with those boys.

My adoption journey did not end here; even when all those boys went on missions, got married, and moved away.

ADOPTION Experience # 3: We found each other!

As a missionary, I had the opportunity to train a beautiful and wonderful missionary from Serbia. She was the 5th missionary from her country in 20 years, and only the 2nd or 3rd to serve in the United States. She was my companion longer than she was anyone's companion. It was sad to leave her, and we shed many tears. Shortly after we parted, she requested to have her patriarchal blessing. Her native tongue was Serbian, and yet she opted to receive her blessing in English. I was invited to attend the blessing.
In it she was "adopted into the House of Israel." I remember when he said to her the words: adopted in . I felt the Spirit testify to me that all things are in the Lord's hand; even the life of a young Serbian missionary.

Recently, I read something that said this:
In the grand scheme, it doesn't matter whether you belong to the
lineage of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, or whether you are
adopted into the House of Israel.
The blessings are the same.

This brings me to adoption now...

ADOPTION experience-in-the-making #4

As history shows, either she will find us, we will find her, or we will have to find each other.

one of my favorite definitions of finding is:

come upon after searching...

So. that's where we are.

Waiting to be found.
Searching.
Hoping we find each other.