On Saturday morning, I joined some fellow club members (Roswell Junior Women's Club) to volunteer as "Buddies" for the Miracle League. This is a wonderful program that gives special needs kids the opportunity to be part of a team, to "hoot and holler" and run the bases, and just be a kid. Not only do the kids get to take part in a quintessential childhood experience, but to learn new skills and interact with people, which can help develop concentration, social skills, and build self esteem. Anyone looking for a worth while volunteer opportunity should consider your local Miracle League! For more info, check out www.miracleleague.com


Not only was it rewarding to watch the kids meet new challenges and have fun, but it was just as wonderful to see beaming parents, grandparents, brothers, and sisters, cheer them on, watching them succeed in areas that so many of us take for granted.

I know what its like to watch someone you love accomplish something that you, and they, thought might not be possible. I love someone very much, who has overcome what once felt like insurmountable obstacles to craft for himself a life that is rich and rewarding despite the challenges. He amazes me daily with his gumption and determination, and I admire and respect his refusal to give in to the limitations that illness and society might place on him if he let them.

When Jimmy and I first decided to proceed with adoption, a person close to us expressed more anxiety than excitement. The anxiety centered around the fear that we might adopt a child with "some kind of problem." We, like all waiting parents, send prayers for Amelia's physical and mental health every single day. But the bottom line ---I'm a bottom line kinda girl if you haven't noticed----is that life doesn't hold any guarantees for anyone. Not for birth parents..........Not for adoptive parents. All that we can do is hope and pray that we get the child we are meant to have, and for the strength and wisdom to steer that child through whatever obstacles she may face. I can't bear to live my life as a captive to the fear of what if???

If Amelia has some "sort of problem", what we'll do is this...... We will love her and care for her. We will make sure that she has the best care and education possible. We will laugh with her when its funny, and cry with her when its sad. We will cheer her on when she succeeds, and console her when she doesn't. We will do everything in our power to make sure that she has the love, security, and resources to succeed, whatever life's challenges. That is what parents do.

As a teenager, I had a poster that pictured a mountain climber ascending the peak of a snow capped mountain. The caption read: "If you never risk going to far............how will you know how far you can go?"

How far is too far to be a mother????

Beyond infinity, I'm sure.