Why ask?....Why

Why?  Better question, Why NOT??

Why ARE we adopting?  Well, I could ask you....why aren't you?

There are so many questions that surround our decision to adopt.  But really it comes down to......why not?  We have been so blessed, blessed far beyond what we deserve.  I am not talking about financially, although on the worlds standard we are blessed beyond measure.  God has given so freely to us, how could we not give back.  Really, it is so little to give.  To give a hope and a future to a child who has been cast off and discarded just as God has given us a hope and a future...really!  Kind of a no brainer for us.  Don't get me wrong.  More thought, effort, prayer, money and time has been put into this than is really imaginable.  It is not a decision to be taken lightly.  But yet, a no brainer!

Here is us, the Degnan's in a nutshell!  Married for nearly 18 years.  Three amazing, talented, beautiful, perfectly stunning daughters, remember I am biased, I am their mother.  A lovely home, great, no really GREAT friends, AMAZING church family, THE BEST family anywhere, a near perfect community...life is good!  We have great jobs for organizations that truly get the "give back to your community" idea.  We own our own business where we get to participate in life's greatest celebrations...really, life is good.

So I ask, "if life is so good, what are we gonna do with all God has given us?"  For us, being comfortable isn't necessarily a good thing.  I don't think God wants us to be of the "us four and no more" mentality, even though we are already at the "us five" place.  Life shouldn't be about being comfortable, taking care of our "own."  This world is our "own."  We had to ask, "what are we doing for this world,"  what about all the kiddo's out there that have no hope, no future.  Don't they deserve more.  Well, no brainer, of course they do.

So the journey begins.  Actually the journey began nearly 2 years ago with a movie...really a movie.  You guessed it, Blind Side.  Yea the movie kinda Blind Sided me.  It isn't like we had ever even talked about adoption.  Wasn't really on our radar, remember...our life was perfect.  But somehow God did something to us through that movie.  It planted a seed.  That and the fact that everywhere we turned we were surround by amazing examples of families who had created a culture of caring for the "least of these." Families who had opened their hearts and homes to anywhere from one to over 25 (yip you got it right, 25) kids who without them would be left in a world of poverty, desperation, hopelessness, likely prostitution or a life of crime and certainly without a sense of belonging or love.  So that is it, love.

Our society has so many limitations, financial and social kinda lead the pack.  While we aren't "swimming in cash'" we live a comfortable lifestyle.  Don't get me wrong, we live on a budget.  Our 16 year old daughter has the newest car in the family.  My trusty old Honda Odyssey has nearly 180,000 miles on it.  The Envoy isn't far behind.  If we simply looked at the finances of it, it doesn't make sense to add a 4th child to the mix.  You do the math on what collage is gonna cost.  But really, can you put a value on a life. While the finances might not add up, what we do have to offer is love and stability and a sense of belonging.  Love is endless, it is a choice.  So we are choosing to love...love a child we have yet to meet.

Really I could go on, and on.  The short of it is, how can we do nothing.  Someda