Forever Families

It is December 30th. My family is gathered at a restaurant for one last breakfast together prior to my oldest daughter, Molly, and her family departing for home after the Christmas holiday. I am holding my granddaughter, Jocelyn, in my arms one last time before they leave.

Jocelyn's adoption is not yet final, and she is still a foster child. While we anticipate that the adoption process will go smoothly, and she will at last be ours legally, it is always a little scary until the judge signs off on the final papers. We don't like to think about it, but anything could happen.

Each time Grandpa and I say goodbye to little Jocelyn, there is a twinge in the heart as we realize that if things don't go as planned, it could be the last time we see her. We have to say goodbye as if it were the last time. I whisper in her ear. Jocelyn, I will always love you, and you will always be my granddaughter. No matter what happens, I love you. I'm crying uncontrollably, now, and my kids notice. I have to get it together.

This challenge has been placed before us, I think, so that we can more fully appreciate temple sealings and eternal families. We look forward to the day when Jocelyn can be sealed to her family in the temple. What a glorious day that will be! That day when no one will ever have the power to separate us! In the meantime, we wait, we hope, we pray, and we depend on the system to do the right thing. The one thing we don't do is to withhold love from a child who so desperately needs love. We don't build any walls to protect our hearts. Jocelyn deserves every inch of our hearts, even if they break. We must continue to believe that there will be that day in the temple to seal her to us for time and all eternity.