Today is a turning point. This morning, I made a quick phone call to a local agency and scheduled a meeting to talk through the process of becoming foster parents with the dream of adopting one day. After months and months of thinking, talking, praying, and dreaming about our future family, today we took the first small step in a long, slow, and complicated process.

When I got off the phone, I quickly posted to Facebook that we are signed up for our first meeting. I was excited, and I wanted to share. I soon realized that my post was sort of like the pregnancy announcements many of my friends have posted. Actually, it was probably more like a “we’re trying to conceive” announcement, the type of announcement that I don’t think I’ve ever seen on Facebook. Needless to say, we are in the very early stages of becoming parents, and yet today, the reality of that set in a little bit more than it ever has before. With one phone call, I began feeling more fully the joyful anticipation of becoming a mom.

Dustin and I don’t plan to have any biological children. In fact, we have never tried to conceive. Maybe that is over-sharing for some of you who are reading this post, but I think it’s an important aspect of our journey. I know there have been times I have talked with adoptive parents or friends who have been adopted, and I wondered how their journey to become a family began. So, I just thought I’d be open from the beginning.

For a myriad of reasons, some of which I will share in future posts, we have felt pulled to pursue a family in a different way. I’m sure our decision might raise a number of questions from people, and I’m sure that neither of us would have perfect answers to those questions. I’m also confident that this is the right thing for us, and I am incredibly overwhelmed by the love we have already felt from our friends and family.

In reality, the process of becoming foster parents did not really begin today. I have felt God tugging at my heart, gently guiding me toward this future for quite sometime. Today is just the first tangible step. And with that one phone call, something inside me shifted.

I’m nervous, excited, and so overwhelmed for what this year holds. I have a feeling it’s going to be the beginning of something beautiful.