By Emaline Ashe 
Becoming a parent seemed impossible for my husband and me.
After many years of trying to have a child, and then to adopt, having children didn’t seem to be in the cards.
I had all but given up on becoming a mom when we heard the news about Hannah, the daughter of a family friend.
Hannah was 16, a junior in high school, and had an unplanned pregnancy.
As a teenager, she had to make a momentous decision: to either raise a son or place him for adoption. Thankfully, she thought of both as possibilities.
We met with Hannah and her mom and spoke candidly about belief systems and raising a child in an open adoption framework. After our meeting, Hannah considered her decision very carefully.
When she selected my husband and me to place her child with, she changed all of our lives. However, there were concerns from family and friends that our adoption plan wouldn’t be a healthy arrangement.
It’s been far from that.
Our open adoption has been beneficial for everyone.
Hannah is now in her mid-thirties and works in the medical field. It’s hard to believe she gave birth to Aiden at just 17, the same age Aiden is now.
Aiden is a senior in high school who will graduate very soon. He has grown up knowing his adoption story and has strong relationships with his birth mother and birth grandmother. Aiden feels their love and support firsthand.
Hannah and Jackie have been a part of Aiden’s life from day one. They have participated in many events and holidays and are an integral part of our family. Aiden and his half-brother Dylan, who is 10, know each other as siblings.
When Aiden graduates, his birth family will be there cheering him on.
They will support Aiden when he moves far away to culinary school, and they’ll be present for whatever comes next in his life.
We aren’t your typical family—no, we are much more.
God created our merged, adopted family out of consideration and compassion for a child.
Family bonds were forged on trust and faith—an abundance of faith.
Over time, faith and trust developed into love—familial love.
Parenting Aiden has been the greatest gift we’ve ever received. Our bonus family, Hannah, Jackie, and Dylan, are priceless additions we never even dreamed of.
by Adrian Collins 
by Beth Renner Regrut 
by Tara Fisher Dukart 
