Amazing Miracles

So many awesome things have happened already in this adoption journey...things that truly remind us God is in control!

First of all, a few weeks ago, we were at the Cracker Barrel in Anderson and ran into the folks that we bought our house from...Roger and Annetta Neal. We told them about the adoption because they've prayed and prayed for us to be able to have children and they grieved along with us when I had the surgery last year that ended our chances of conceiving.

Anyway, we told them about our birth mother's family and Annetta started to cry! She is related to that family! Our birth mom's great-Grandpa Earl Reno is Annetta's uncle! She shared lots of wonderful things with us about the family. She cried and said how thankful she was God is answering our prayers for a baby and that our news made her day!

Roger and Annetta pastor a church, but many years ago, they went to the same church as our birth mom's Great-Grandpa & Grandma Reno. "Grandma Reno" passed away a few years back, but she would have been Ryleigh's great-great Grandma. Grandpa Reno is still living and lives in Muncie.

Today, I got a letter in the mail from Annetta. It says,

"Michelle, I thought I'd send you some pictures to be kept for your baby and also give you a little family information on the Reno side. This will be interesting for her when she gets older. By the way, we had lunch with Uncle Earl a few days ago and we told him we knew you because you had bought our house. We let him know his great-great grandchild was going to a good, stable Apostolic Christian home. He was thrilled. He will be 90 on July 5th. His address is...if you should ever need it. The baby's great-great grandmother was Francis Reno. She taught children's Sunday School for close to 50 years! A wonderful woman. Will start with this picture! More to come!" Annetta included a photo of Ryleigh's late great-great grandmother teaching Sunday School. I'm guessing the photo was taken in the late 1960's-early 70's!!

What a precious, precious gift!!

Then, last month when our birth mom M., her mom K. and I met at my attorney's office, my attorney suggested our birth mom get started on grief counseling right away. She recommended "Pat S." I guess Pat is the best of the best and has experience in counseling birth mom who place their babies for adoption. Well, when our birth mom's mom called Pat, she said she couldn't take M. because she isn't set up to take Medicaid at this point. A few days went by and K. must have asked around because she heard some awesome things about Pat and wanted to know if we could make any calls or pull any strings. Pat worked in the same building as Fred's pharmacy. So, Fred went back to talk to Pat and learned her office had moved. He called her and they talked for quite a while. Pat said she's trying to get approved to accept Medicaid at this new facility and that if she took M. now as a patient she might be in violation of the Medicaid laws, etc. Then, Fred asked about us paying for M.'s counseling. We weren't sure how we would pay for it (probably $600+/- a month) but we want M. to have the grief counseling. Pat told Fred that she doesn't recommend us paying for it because if M. should change her mind about the adoption during counseling, we might blame Pat, etc. So....I contacted our attorney for help. What to do, what to do? We looked for another counselor. Our attorney contacted Pat and they talked some concerns out. Pat said she'd talk to her practice's attorney and see what they could do. Pat understood the urgency and I'm sure the fact that she knows Fred helped too.
The attorney called me and said she had good news...Pat had spoken with her attorney and I think some colleagues and she agreed to take M. as a patient at NO CHARGE. They can't bill Medicaid because she isn't set up for it, but because M. has Medicaid, Pat didn't think it was fair to charge us and have us pay for the counseling, so she's "just going to be it for free". (!!!!!!!) She mentioned to our attorney that she would like a "working relationship" where our attorney referred people to her and they'd just start with M. !!! Praise the Lord!! How amazing is that?!
M. had her first visit with Pat yesterday and said she really, really liked her!