I love how the Lord works, He brings people into my life at different times of my life when I need it the most, and contrary to popular belief, He doesn’t always surround me with people who are exactly like me. How incredibly boring would my life be if I wasn’t pushed and prodded and challenged to grow by those around me? I’m thankful for people who don’t think like I do, who cause me to step back and say “Let me look at it that way” it doesn’t mean that I will adopt that way of thinking but it does open me up to how other people see the world and their view, most certainly, will be different than mine.

Carole Turner is one such person that over the years has made me look at things in a different light. Our paths crossed while I was, for a brief moment, an Assistant Athletic Director for a sports program in Baton Rouge, La.

She, and her husband Dean, were my biggest and best volunteers, working concessions and dragging the baseball fields with me late at night. We survived the heat and humidity of Southern Louisiana during baseball season and when our third baby, a boy, was born premature they not only took on my responsibilities but they checked on me and encouraged me. Carol shared stories of how she nursed her adopted son (yes you can do that) while I cried about not knowing if our baby would ever be able to nurse. She would text me and ask how I was emotionally, because I’m guessing, she knew what it was like to leave a baby at the hospital while juggling the rest of life.

Yes, over the years we have changed and grown in different areas, and every now and then, she’ll loan me her glasses so I can look at the world from her point of view. She’s walked the road of infertility, domestic and international adoption and I’ve watched her navigate those waters for quiet a while. She has written her adoption story on her blog, and I feel that she can tell it better than I could. If you are considering domestic or international adoption I encourage you to click the link below and read her story, reach out to her with questions or pick her brain on the challenges and rewards of adoption.

https://www.carolesmithturner.com/p/our-adoption-story.html

XO,

Gena