In Honor of Adoption Month: How We Got Here {The Hales}
Jennifer James
I had the pleasure of meeting the Hales over the last year as I became an artist advocate for The Orphan Care Network. They are truly great people with even better hearts and it is a great joy to share their story with you today! Here is "How We Got Here", from the perspective of Heather Hale:
"I feel like most people start by saying “ I always knew I wanted to adopt” and I’d like to just start by saying… that was NOT me. I was NOT the little girl who dreamed about my wedding day and becoming a mom. I assumed I would get married and have kids, but I just didn’t think about it a lot… until I met Aaron. You might have guessed that it was a long and frustrating courtship, but in the end he won me over. He took me to Africa, he showed me the world and opened my eyes! opened my heart to new things! He always had a different way of looking at things, a different way of approaching life… even when it came to growing a family. Aaron... “always knew he wanted to adopt” This was something I knew very early on and while I thought it was awesome and you know... so sweet I figured I didn’t really have to worry too much about it. I thought we would probably get married, get pregnant and then later in life talk about adopting.
It didn’t really go that way. After being married for a couple of years, we found ourselves talking a lot about what our family would look like. It was clearer all the time that Aaron felt REALLY strongly about adopting first and while I loved the idea, it was hard to fully embrace it. As a woman I had that annoying internal clock ticking… I felt so conflicted… until something happened! I thought I was pregnant. It was probably less than 24 hours that I actually thought I might be pregnant, but it was enough time for me to feel sad and disappointed that this plan that we talked about… this plan to adopt first might not happen. That was the day I knew I was ALL IN. And it was more than that. It’s almost like I DID find out I was pregnant. There was a baby out there and I was going to be his mother!
From that point on, it was a crazy roller coaster of classes and paper work and emotions and fundraising. It’s crazy to look back on that time because in all seriousness, the 26 year old me was so naive and clueless. But wow, at the same time, I was filled with hope and excitement and a tremendous love for this baby boy who I had never met. And really that’s all I needed. I didn’t need to know all the lingo or make sure that I read all the books, I just needed to say yes! And I’m so happy I did. "
Heather was born in Lubbock, Texas and studied graphic design at TTU. She is currently the Art Director at Mays Designs in Austin, TX and mom to 2 sweet boys, Arthur (almost 4) and Ezra Golden (16 months). Her husband, Aaron, is a worship leader, singer/songwriter, and Director of artistry and advocacy at The Orphan Care Network. To learn and follow more of The Hale's adoption journey and advocacy, you can visit their websites:
http://loveiswaitingadoptionstory.blogspot.com/2011/07/i-have-little-story-to-tell-you.html
http://names.aaronhalemusic.com