The phone call that changed my life....

Have you ever had a single phone call change your life? I had a phone call 30 years ago changing my life forever. About this time of the year, I tell the story of how my life changed for the better based on the phone call I received February 8, 1982.

The call came at 4:00 in the afternoon and I was home alone doing what I did every day at this time, thinking of supper and what to make. The caller was from the Oklahoma Children's Baptist Home and getting a call from my social worker was common because she would call every once in awhile asking how I was doing. This phone call started out like any other call with the social worker. I let her know I wasn't working and I was thinking of what I would fix for supper. She paused then proceeded to tell me, "You are now the proud parent of a little baby girl." I sat there stunned to say the least!!! I said, "What did you say?" She reiterated again that I was now the proud parent of a 1 month old little girl. I started screaming, "Are you kidding? Are you sure? Me??? How? What? When? where was this little girl?" The caller said she could call back when I was a bit calmer, but at this point, I didn't want the caller to hang up! Like any parent, I wanted to know if this little girl had 10 toes and 10 fingers, what she looked like, how long was she, and how much did she weigh when she was born.

After writing down all the information (I knew I wouldn't remember anything she told me so I had to write it down), the caller wanted to know if I had a named picked out for this little girl - all I could think of was Sarah Elizabeth because both were Biblical names and both women waited until they were older when they had their children. I didn't even hesitate with the name and I didn't even consult my husband at the time about the name. The name just seemed like the right one and it seemed so fitting. The caller said they would start calling the little girl Sarah right away and have her name on all the paperwork ready for us when we picked her up.

The caller had one other thing to tell me, "We need you and your husband to pick up Sarah on Wednesday at 1 in the afternoon." At the time, we lived in Lawton and driving to Tulsa was a 4 hour drive. Basically, I had one evening and 24 hours to get ready for a newborn baby. What was I thinking??? Was I really ready to have a little baby come into my life? Panic attacks don't usually happen, but I found myself having a panic attack and I called my mother to give her the news.

The first thing she said she did was cry for the birth mother for giving up her little girl so I could have a newborn baby and the second thing she said she did was cry for me because I finally had a child - one I had prayed for since the beginning of my marriage 10 years earlier. My mother calmed my fears and reminded me I grew up the oldest girl in the family and had cared for all the smaller siblings my mother had. (There were 3 smaller children eventually in our family so caring for them came naturally.)

The adoption agency said this little girl was the prettiest baby they had seen in 10 years and she definitely was coming into my home. I remember holding her for the first time, tears streaming down my face looking into her quiet sleeping face being overwhelmed with instant love. The love that only comes between a mother and her child.

I am so thankful and grateful to the Lord above for his gift to me. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed God gave me the desires of my heart to have a baby and nurture that baby into an adult. I now see the love she has for her son and am constantly reminded of God's initial gift to me.

Just last year this beautiful daughter found her birth family and she now has a pair of twin sisters and a brother whom she has met and learned to love. She also has met the wonderful woman who was selfless in giving me the opportunity to raise a daughter who is beautiful inside and out. I'm thankful God has given her the gift of a birth family as well as an adoptive family. Happy Adoption day Sarah!!!!!

One of Sarah's favorite things to eat growing up was my banana bread so this is the recipe I'm sharing today.

Sarah's banana bread
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
2 eggs
cream the above ingredients until light and fluffy

Add 1/2 cup sour cream and 2 cups flour. When blended, add 3 mashed ripe bananas and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Bake in a loaf pan for about 45 minutes until the center is done. While still in the pan, brush the top of the loaf with 2 Tablespoons melted butter 3 Tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Remove the loaf from the pan and when cool, slice, spread with butter and eat. Very yummy....