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I just posted over on the Guatemala Adoption Forum a question asking “What was the single greatest piece of advice you’ve received.” Knowing that much of the advice we receive is well meant but not asked for, I was curious about good advice that may have stuck with us. Without fail I listed for my selection advice we received to journal our journey.
The day my wife found out that we probably would not have a biological child, she wept with sadness. Every part of her yearned to be a mother. We are over 3 years removed from that moment now and were it not for the journal we’ve kept, that moment would be subject to an ever failing memory. Sure we would remember the incident but it is the emotion we read in the words, it’s the detail of where we were and what we were doing, it is the ability to step back in time vividly and relive those moments that help us to appreciate the moments we live today.
Shortly after that very sad day a friend encouraged us to journal everything we experienced both good and bad as we explored adoption. Their advice was intended to help us build a road map from that moment to a time where we had new hope. We could continually look back at our progress and realize that though we hadn’t arrived, we were definitely moving on. Little did we know how valuable those words would be to us as the future held a 19 month adoption that saw Kristina and I apart for 14 of those months. Without the ability to read those journals and see our progress, I’m not sure how we would have survived!
So let me encourage you tonight. If you have not begun to write small musings and happenings from your days as you prepare or go through the process, there is no time like right now to begin. The reasons are countless from those I described to being able to communicate your journey to your child one day. To read it in your own words will ba amazing for you.
If you journal or have journaled, I encourage you to comment below and share your experience with it.
