Welcome to our adventure. You are joining this story somewhat “in-progress” so we’ll do our best to build out the early chapters for you. And once we’ve done that, we will try to bring you along with us during our preparation, travels and homecoming.
Ryan’s story actually starts about a year ago or so. It didn’t start with our Ryan as we know him today, so much as an idea that we wanted to add a “Ryan” (or perhaps a “Keira”) to the recipe to complete our family.
By now you probably know that our daughter Ashley has faced some medical challenges and is making great progress in overcoming them. You may not know that she was blessed with a very courageous foster Mother in China before we adopted her. I can only wish to have the perseverance and persistence that this woman showed during Ashley’s first few weeks of her life. In never accepting “No” as an answer, she quite literally saved Ashley’s life.
We have been fortunate to be able to maintain some level of contact with her (and her family which consisted of another daughter – a foster-sister to Ashley, and parents – foster-grand-parents to Ashley). We occasionally trade letters and photos via email.
During one of these exchanges, as we looked through the photos we received, Lisa and I both noticed what looked to be another little foster child. She was a precious little girl, and seemed very much at ease with her foster family. It was a very strange first few moments for Lisa and me after we saw the photographs of this little one. Neither of us said anything right away, but almost concurrently we both said quietly, “I wonder if that little girl is a foster child – and would she eventually be placed for adoption?”
Our eyes (and hearts) met, and it was at that point that we knew that we would like to bring another little soul into our family. It was a silent connection shared by parents everywhere – we just knew that this is what we wanted to complete our family.
I have to admit that we would often joke about having another child – usually during the times when our current three were in the process of becoming unhinged! “Sure, we can handle FOUR! Ha-Ha…!
But within that first few moments of seeing that photo and our “meeting of the minds”, we knew we could – and we would. After all who could pass up the chance to forever change another life?
Thank you to our families – Moms, Dads, Brothers, Sisters, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, etc., etc. for all of the support that you’ve given us along the way. Yes, we really do know what we’re doing. And we know that what we’re doing has never been more right for our family.
And so that is really the start of this story. Not so much “Ryan’s” story yet, but the story of how we came to know that there would be a “Ryan” in all of our lives.