Grief and Loss
We just got back from an adoption conference in Franklin, Tennessee. The last class we attended—and were asked to present in—dealt with grief and loss. I suppose that, given our history, the presenter figured that we’re experts. Throughout the course of trying to build our family, we’ve experienced many kinds of grief and loss: • We’ve suffered through severe infertility, such that we’ve only managed to get pregnant four times in almost 13 years of trying. • We’ve suffered through two early miscarriages, wherein that pregnancy ended almost before it began. • We’ve suffered through a later miscarriage, when our son Daniel was perfectly formed but born much too early and we got to hold our lifeless child in our hands before burying him in a tiny casket. • Several times, we’ve suffered when an adoption opportunity fell through because, despite desperately wanting to adopt that child, the answer to our prayers was a resounding “no.” • Several times, we’ve suffered when an adopt...