Can I just rewind to my twenty-eighth birthday when the doctor sat in a rocking chair beside me and assured me that I would never be a mom. He had just done a procedure that showed that the cutting edge in vitro procedure would not be an option for me. I was heartcrushed and asked Ron for a divorce on our drive home. My broken body shouldn’t prevent him from being a dad was my rational. He hugged me, brought me hot tea for my throat and assured me that God had a plan to create our family. I love this man of mine more than I can express.
I won’t go into all the ups and downs of adoption but that day we pivoted from infertility to creating a chosen family. Fast forward almost forty years to this moment. Our family indeed grew and continues to grow. It would be enlightening to list all who are our family but I would most likely miss someone who should be included. So I will use a broad brush to paint you a picture of God’s faithfulness at not only providing our heart’s desire but giving us more than we could have dreamed.
Our four children came from generous birthmoms who have been a part of our lives along with their families. That grew our family in a most wonderful way. When our kids grew and married we gained more in-loves along with their families. Now we are gifted with the birth of August six weeks ago who is number eight grandkiddo. We even have a delightful great grandson who is a year old. How great is that. His daddy and his family have joined our family as well. You can see why I no longer say Barbers6 but also don’t even attempt to give our clan a number. What a gift to have a family too numerous to even count. God is good!
When we started the adoption process a friend asked me how I would be able to share my kids with a birth family. I can honestly say my reaction was that our hearts grow to include more people throughout our lives. Moms worry how they could possibly love baby two as much as their firstborn. Their love is not divided but multiplied to include all their sweet children. That is the same with birth families. I am so fortunate to have relationships with my kid’s siblings who weren’t raised in my home. It is a special bond that I am forever grateful for. The truth is my daughter’s maternal grandma has been a part of my life always and reads my blogs. I love that! Natalie’s husband’s grandfather also reads my heart on this page. I love that!
So I have stopped saying I am Noni to six or seven or eight and have decided to give me my heart name of Noni2all! Even the sweet kiddos at the park who play with my basket of park toys now call me Noni. I love that! Friends are family we choose for ourselves and I am blessed with each of you who let me be your Noni and Noni to your kids. I love that!
When I was groggy from surgery listening to that doctor who callously gave me the news in a rocking chair, he believed I wouldn’t be a mom. I had my doubts and almost gave in to hopelessness. God had a different plan. Ron’s mom gave me hope. She said God had just the right children for us.We just had to go out and find them. So we did with a lot of help along the way. Here we are with hearts full of just the right people in our lives. What a gift we have as Noni and Papa to each one.
In Him,
Joyful
10-5-23
Love your story Barbara and you and Ron are special people/ parents I'm very bless to have been your neighbor for many years and I was lucky to see your children grow and and enjoy them also.may God continued to Bless you and all your family
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