Our Adoption Day!
If you have followed our story, my sons and I left my ex-husband (their biological father) exactly 5 years ago at this time. We were homeless for almost 4 months until we found a small trailer to start over in. Some time later, I met Tim, and when it was time to introduce the boys to him, they instantly clicked. I was shocked how much they loved him right off the bat, and it seemed as though they were already father and sons.
Once we got married, we had a dream that seemed almost impossible, that the boys would be a Rutherford as well and become legally adopted by Tim. When we approached their biological father, he emphatically told us no. It was the only control that he still had over me. Even though the boys wanted it, he was in and out of their lives, and not helping in any way, he refused to give us that right. There was always this unsettled feeling that he could pop in at any time and cause damage to these kids’ hearts. Unfortunately, that happened multiple times through the years.
But something wonderful happened from setting strict boundaries with him.
For so many years, I put myself aside for this man who treated me poorly. I protected him when he didn’t deserve it. I realized that I had grown and didn’t have to be scared of him anymore. We started to hold him accountable. A big part of that was financially with the very small amount of child support that he was refusing to pay. Once we had that enforced with the state, we also let him know that if he wasn’t going to be consistent, we would have to go back to court to figure the situation out. That accountability, especially dealing with the topic of child support, caused him to sign his rights as their father to Tim.
It was an incredibly long process with a lot of paperwork, money, and time put into it, but it was completely worth every bit of it. I jumped for joy when we finally got a court date: December 15, 2023. This was the greatest Christmas present that we could ever ask for.
The day came just yesterday, and it was incredibly emotional. I am still in awe of God’s presence and favor through it all. The judge and the bailiff remembered my story because I spoke at the courthouse just 2 months ago. It made it that much sweeter that they knew everything that we had overcome. They were so kind to the boys and even let them see behind the judge’s bench. As my husband agreed to take them as his own, I closed my eyes and was flooded with how faithful God has been to us. He said if we acted on his word, he would bless us, and it was beyond what we could have ever imagined.
Look what God can do with just 5 years. The biblical meaning of the number 5 is “the grace and goodness of God.” It couldn’t have been more prophetic and on point. Generational curses are being broken, and the boys will carry on a new name and a new legacy.
From homeless to whole, we are family.
