We felt drawn to adoption without a clear reason even prior to getting married. We’d seen our friends from all sides of the adoption triad navigate adoption with beauty, grace, & strength. After Amanda gave birth to our daughter 4 years ago, she experienced some health struggles following her pregnancy. It took years to get some answers but they finally came, and it was abundantly clear to us that it would be wisest and healthiest for her not to carry another pregnancy. This news came after several months of seriously researching adoption and contacting agencies as we felt we were finally in a place to start that journey. We took these reproductive and autoimmune issues as a clear sign that we should continue moving forward with our plans to adopt. Over the year that we spent learning, listening, and educating ourselves, Our hearts grew with such respect and love for birth mothers. It was important to us to seek an open adoption as our best-case-scenario and to seek an avenue that treated expectant and birth parents ethically. After talking to an organization recommended by friends, it was clear to us that Faithful Adoption Consultants would be the way we could best add to our family and be confident that the agency would treat our future child’s first parent(s) well.

Throughout our adoption journey, “Faith Over Fear” has been our anthem. Faith means confidence in the things we hope for – to become a forever family to a baby that needs a home and if possible, to keep them in close contact with their birth family and love their birth family well. There are so many unknowns in adoption. There is no way to do it risk-free. But we have chosen to jump, believing there is a net of providence to catch us at the end as we free-fall in faith.

We have chosen these 3 bows unique to our fundraising month for special reasons. Our daughter Brooklyn chose the mustard bow, and I was immediately reminded of this quote: “If you have FAITH as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move,’ and it will move and nothing will be impossible.” We’ve already seen mountains moved, obstacles to growing our family demolished, and wait expectantly to see more moved. If you have overcome a mountain or are facing one right now, I hope these mustard bows can be a reminder to you that a seed of faith is more powerful than a mountain of fear.

The wine-colored bow represents miracles and beauty from ashes. Life itself is a miracle. As difficult and heartbreaking as the circumstances leading a mother to needing an adoption plan can be, open adoption has the potential to transform those ashes into something beautiful & full of hope. I hope those of you who have seen beauty come from ashes can resonate with this and feel thankful when you see this strong color.

The jade bow represents our sweet baby. Jade is a color that emotes peace – tranquility, calmness, healing. We’ve chosen a potential name for our precious babe that means “peace,” and our prayer for them, for their first mama, and for us has been, “May we go out with joy & be led forth in peace.” May this little jade bow bring a sense of calm to those of you who’ve braved difficulty or have had a little one or friend who’s braved a storm of their own.

Thank you for supporting our adoption in this way! The fact that we could not do this without help is not lost on us. Thank you specifically for spreading the love and meaning behind these three bows with those around you!

– The Joneses

Thanks for reading and head on over to the shop to show them your support…and share our blog with your friends!

-Kathleen