Atkinson Family Addition

Coretta Neeley. For quite a while, we have kept a running document with names that we’ve liked. We would find them everywhere and anywhere: the credits after a movie or show; book characters and authors; family names. One of our favorite places: the church bulletin! We’d look at all the composers and writers (I think we added two names that way). When we found out that we were chosen and that the baby was a girl, our name search amped up. We had a long list of maybes but hadn’t yet decided on names we loved. While we were waiting, both of us seemed to be drawn to boy names: that list was extensive, had stars and notes by each of our favorites, and even had some middle name ideas. (We also learned that when your last name ends in -son, first names sound silly if they also end in -son.) In one of the very first conversations we had with Mama M, she asked us if we had a name picked out--which made us panic that we hadn’t even narrowed it down! During our July visit together, we knew...

I always imagined becoming a mom to be the most amazing, beautiful experience. I imagined happiness and basking in sunshine. I imagined only love and happiness. But that image isn’t how our story is being written. During the lengthy process of adoption, there were people in our lives that were noticeably absent; uninvolved; uninterested. People that we thought would be our supporters. Those pages weren’t written how we imagined. But there were others, who in the absence, stepped in and filled that void. They were involved; interested; and cheered us on. Those pages weren’t how we imagined; but they were filled with the grace of our God. When this sweet baby girl was a mere three days old, our beloved Pastor Stephanie texted us early that morning to say “My prayers are with you. God’s love surround you. May you all experience peace.”. She knew that 72 hours had passed and that Coretta’s Mama would be making a decision that wasn’t easy; it took deep thought and prayer; it to...