Models used for illustrative purposes only. Cover and HandsPhotos: © Getty Images. All rights reserved. Baby: © Veer Images.All rights reserved. Copyright © 2014, United States Conference ofCatholic Bishops, Washington, D.C.

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and I dropped everything and hit the roadto Florida to meet our son. Words can’teven describe how we felt during thatdrive. We were so excited at the thoughtthat we could be driving home with ourson, yet at the same time we were soscared that we may be driving homealone. I wasn’t sure we could handle thatdisappointment, and I wondered what shewould think of us. Would she regret thatshe chose us? What would I say to thewoman who was going to place her childwith us? Along with these and all thenormal fears of becoming a parent, I wasalso afraid that I wouldn’t bond with ournew son or feel that he was ours.

After arriving, we met the birthmotherwho was still in labor. She was so sweetand personable, and we sat with her tosupport her as best we could. A few hourslater, our son Andrew was born. It wasthe most surreal experience.

We spent the next day and a half withAndrew and his birthmother in thehospital getting to know each other a bit.It was hard to know what to say to her,knowing she was making the hardestdecision of her life, knowing the pain shemust be experiencing, and feeling that Iwas the one causing this pain. It was suchan emotional roller coaster to hold andlook at this precious baby, wondering if Iwould really be his mother.

Thankfully, the birthmother decided tomaintain her decision to place her childwith us. Later that evening, ChristmasEve, Bill and I left the hospital withAndrew. It didn't take long before therewas no doubt in our minds that he wasour son, the greatest gift from God! Hereally is our Christmas miracle.

Andrew is two years old now, and it is soclear to Bill and me that God picked himfor us. We can't imagine loving a childwhom we conceived more than we loveAndrew. It is amazing how he fits ourpersonalities so well. More and moreevery day we are so thankful to hisbirthmother for her selfless decision.

It is so hard to express in words what aunique experience adoption has been forus. It has been quite a journey facinginfertility, as well as so many unknownsand acts of kindness and sacrifice—allwith so many emotions—which led to thegrowth of our family. There were timeswhen our faith was shaken and weweren't sure if we could handle our cross.But adopting Andrew has made us moreaware of God's power and of his love forus. We realize that he always has a perfectplan for our lives.

*Jenny and Bill (all names have beenchanged for privacy) would like toencourage you be open to the gift ofadoption. Is God calling you to consideradopting a child or placing your child foradoption? To learn more information,contact your diocesan office.

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Ed. Note: Adoption is a wonderful gift.Though sometimes portrayed in negativeways by the media, most experiences ofadoption are beautiful love stories—suchas the one Jenny* shares below.

My husband Bill and I have been marriedfor six years. Having children and raisinga family had always been our expectation.By the time we were married, most of oursiblings and friends already had children,so of course we were excited and ready to

be parents ourselves. We soon learned,however, that having children of our ownmight not be so easy.

We made a few trips to multiple cities tobe treated by wonderful doctors whohave helped so many couples conceive,but everything we tried was unsuccessful.We felt so hopeless at times. Words can'teven explain this experience of loss.

Fortunately, our marriage only grewstronger, because we were there for eachother and continued to rely on God. Thisdidn't always come easily, but it helpedthat Bill has a great sense of humor, andwe were able to laugh at some of thecrazy situations and conversations thatcome with infertility.

Since we knew our chances of becomingpregnant were small, it wasn’t very longbefore we started talking about thepossibility of adoption. However, itwasn't an easy decision, and I wonderedif my heart was big enough to love anadopted child as I would my biologicalchild. There were also so many othervariables to consider, one of which wasthe expense involved, and we had alreadyspent so much money on infertilitytreatments. We felt we had no control,but God reminded us again that He isalways in control and that we could trustin Him.

So with prayerful discernment, we decidedto start the process of adopting a childfrom Ethiopia. However, after it tooknearly a year to get on the waiting list, theadoption program was put on hold forreasons that were unknown to us.

We were so frustrated that we started tofeel as though maybe we just weren'tcalled to have children. We then heard

from friends who had adopted a newbornbaby domestically after only a few shortmonths. With this new encouragement,we switched gears and decided to adoptdomestically, picking a nationwide agencyrather than a state agency because it isusually faster.

We were so excited but also rather scared.We would be chosen by a birthmotherand would be required to send picturesand letters to her frequently. Most likely,we would talk with the birthmother overthe phone and meet her at the delivery.And there was always the chance shecould change her mind, even days afterthe birth. I didn’t know how I would feelabout all this and wondered if we weresetting ourselves up for more heartbreak.But all we could do was pray and try toleave it in God’s hands.

Four months later, we received a call thata birthmother in Florida had chosen us.She was seven months pregnant with aboy. We couldn’t believe it. We werefinally going to have a baby. We talkedwith her a couple of times over thephone, and I never realized until thenhow lucky I was to marry such a talker,as Bill really helped the conversationsflow smoothly.

On the birthmother’s due date, wereceived the call that she was in labor. Bill