Both His Mothers’ Love

We met for the first time at a cookout in Greenville, SC. Our toddlers played together while we visited. How were we to know then that this meeting at the home of church friends would initiate a life-changing decision less than one year later?

So, when you became pregnant and knew that the circumstances weren’t ideal for raising a second child, you thought of us — a young couple with one adopted son and a heart for more. Somehow you knew. 

I remember our first phone conversation — how you spoke of your unborn child (Was it a girl? A boy?) as though you already knew this baby belonged in our family.
And when you learned the child was a boy, we began to talk names — Riley Jacob? No, you liked Jacob Riley. And so it was.
I remember how, in one conversation, you said you knew how difficult it would be to let him go — how, although you felt certain that you were making the right decision, you were aware that your heart would hurt.

Truth is — both our hearts have hurt over the past eighteen years. After all, what mother doesn’t hurt for her child from time to time? Struggles. Wounds. Even minor bumps and bruises. And not just for this one boy, but for our other children, as well. That’s what mothers do.
Over the years, we’ve shared two visits since Jacob’s birth — one when he was still an infant and you came from California and another when he was about seven, while you were still living in Miami. At that visit, our boys (we each had two) played in the pool — splashing and laughing as children do, all wet behind the ears.

How they’ve grown! And we, too, have grown so much since that visit over a decade ago. You’ve had another son, and we’ve added our daughter. (Don’t you think Connor and Allie would be fast friends? And oh, the trouble they might cause!)
What a privilege that you came and shared in Jacob’s graduation with us. We know what sacrifices you made to make that happen, and we are beyond grateful.
I’m so thankful for our late night talk and how we remembered. How you shared your heart… your hurts. How you allowed me to enter into your life in a deeper way that I might know better how to pray for you and your family. Thank you.
Thank you for being a part of our celebration — as we helped usher our son into a new chapter of his life —
The life you gave him.
The life you gave us.
The life that, together, we’ve given this boy.
Jacob Riley wouldn’t be who he is…
Without BOTH his mothers’ love.