Waiting Families
Michele and Radcliffe
Dear Birthparents,
Hello! We are Michele and Radcliffe, and we are grateful that you have taken time to learn about us.
We first want to tell you how much we admire your courage, love, and compassion in considering an adoption plan for your child. We will never know the sense of loss and grief you must feel in the process of creating an adoption plan, nor could we even guess at the nature of the overwhelming sea of emotions you must be swimming in right now. What we do know is that your decision to make an adoption plan for your child is a sacred one, and we keep your heart and thoughts in our prayers.
We have been trying to have children for the past 6 years and have been unsuccessful in our attempts. Our inability to have children has been a devastating loss to us, because it was our dream and goal long before we were married to bear children and raise a family. Through faith, determination, and the unfailing support of our family and friends we have overcome our trials, however, and we are thankful that God’s plan has led us to become adoptive parents. We hope that as you read our story you will see and feel the love that we share for each other, our families, our community, and the world at large. It is our aim to raise a child in this environment with an appreciation for community, birthparents and adoptive families, and with the knowledge of being loved and never alone. We want to do what is best for your child. We hope that this includes some level of contact with you in whatever way you may be comfortable, but we are flexible and willing to consider other situations.
Through Radcliffe’s eyes:
Michele is very gentle, thoughtful and devoted. She is always concerned with doing what is right, whether it is going on a medical mission trip to Haiti or cooking a delicious dinner for one of our neighbors who might be sick. I am so touched by watching Michele play with her niece and nephews. She has a very keen sense of what they want to do for fun—whether it is carving pumpkins, baking cookies, making jewelry or going on a hay ride—she is devoted to them and her deep desire to be a mother drives her. Michele is very, very bright and works as a master’s trained registered nurse in the Toxicology Department. She shoulders a large responsibility in taking phone calls from frightened mothers whose children have ingested toxic substances to advising ER physicians around the area seeking advice on how to treat patients. She balances this responsibility with her work at our church, including Altar Guild, the church retreat planning committee, and organizing Supper Clubs. One of Michele’s greatest gifts is her innate ability to create a warm, cozy, and loving home. I love coming home in the evenings if I have to work late to the welcoming warm smells of some delicious dinner she has made from scratch, the dogs panting excited that I am home, and the sound of jazz or blue grass playing from the radio in the kitchen. When all of those sights, sounds and smells come together, I know that I am home, and Michele is the center of it all.
Through Michele’s eyes:
Radcliffe is a very unique and special person. I am amazed at how he can use his humor to lighten a situation that was once dreaded, into one where everyone ends up laughing and having a great time. Children of all ages love him – and I often notice them rivaling for his attention. Radcliffe has a serious side as well. He is dedicated to his family and works diligently to provide by studying and working hard. When he decides he wants something, he puts his whole heart into the endeavor. He works as a Nurse Anesthetist providing care to patients having surgery to ensure they are comfortable and safe while undergoing their operation or delivering a baby. He has a natural gift for putting people at ease in very anxiety producing situations. Radcliffe has many gifts and enjoys playing guitar, singing, writing his own music, fishing, and cheering on his favorite NFL football team. One of the most memorable gifts he has given to me was writing and recording an engagement song to ask me for my hand in marriage. He wanted this song recorded so he could be traditional in bending down on one knee as he proposed. It was the most perfect night of my life!
We were married in our neighborhood church and we have created a home and extended family there. We are active members of our church and attend regularly. We look forward to getting more involved in teaching when our children attend Sunday School. We know that our adopted child will fit in well for there are many children who are adopted in our church, from many diverse backgrounds. We live in a modest home in a diverse neighborhood, full of activity and community. When we bought our house, our parents and friends all pitched in to help us update and paint to create what we now have, a warm cozy home. We enjoy cooking and having friends over for cookouts, games, bonfires, and music in the back yard. We also enjoy quiet nights at home, reading, or watching movies.
We are fortunate to have both sets of parents living close to us, as well as each of our brothers and their wives and kids. We spend our vacations in the mountains and at the beach enjoying hikes in the woods, fishing, cooking, gardening, swimming, and the gifts of nature. Our extended families vacation together often and many warm and wonderful memories have come from these places, and we can’t wait to enjoy more in the future with our children taking part.
Our hopes and dreams for our child include education, spiritual development, physical activity, sports, and diverse personal relationships. Our highest goals are that they have a meaningful life, filled with good friends and tight family, doing well by doing good, finding happiness in whatever work they find and purpose and meaning in every day they live. We will devote ourselves to this end, placing the needs of your child first and foremost as our own.
We thank you for taking the time to read our story, and we look forward to our paths crossing soon.
Peace be with you,
Radcliffe &Michele