Careless Wishing

Casual friends of ours are adopting. We went to the same doctor for treatment, so they felt safe in sharing that they'd recently entered the world of paperwork, guesswork, and referrals. Choosing to go the domestic adoption route, they submitted their personal profile about a month ago, and hunkered down to wait.

And wait they did. All of two weeks for a referral.

I offered congratulations, smiles, and best wishes towards their potential match, all the while thinking "woe is me."

Over the weekend, our friends' birthmom went into labor. They joyously packed up their suitcases, flew to another state, and again hunkered down to wait.

And wait they did. Until a few hours after they got there, the birthmom made the heartwrenching decision to parent her child.

I know another match will come around for them. I know that in time, they'll not hurt as much as they do today. Nonetheless, as I look around at all of my adoptive friends who've hit the wall lately and are trying to pick themselves back up, I'm left with what's sadly become a most familiar question - why does adoption have to be so damn hard?