"You must be . . . ."

It happened again today, and I must say I'm getting a little bit tired of it.  People mean well, but it is down right embarrassing.

"You must be __(insert flattering adjective)__."  Let's see, what have I heard?  Courageous, strong, compassionate, Super Mom, a hero, and many others.  I never know what to say.

The fact of the matter is that I am none of those things.  I appreciate the acknowledgement that my family is doing something that few others do.  But we didn't do this to be recognized for any of those traits.  We did this because we felt, as a family, that we were meant to do this.  NOT doing it wasn't a viable option.

So here's where the real credit lies:  with God.

The courage you see in me comes from Him.  I am a coward by nature.

The strength you see comes from Him.  I am a spineless wimp.

The compassion you see comes from HIM.  I am selfish and protective of my own comfort.

The Super Mom, the hero you see is Christ Himself.  I can't do those things.

God called us to adopt.  We were happy with our lives as they were.

God paved our way and moved mountains for us along the way.

God continues to work in our family as he weaves us together into a beautiful tapestry - much different from what WE thought, but more richly colored and textured than we could conceive.

At times I forget these things, and life gets pretty rough.  I crumble under the weight, wither in the face of difficulty, retreat into self-preservation.  And then I remember. . . .

So when someone says, "I could never do what you do," I firmly believe, "Yes, you could.  IF you are MEANT to do it.  Because when you are meant to do it, you just DO."