Isn’t it awesome when you actually feel something deep in your core versus just knowing it in your head?
That’s where we are, friends. We are FEELing like a family… and it’s wonderful!
The idea of going on a full blown family vacation seemed like “too much” over the past year. It didn’t even cross our minds as something doable. We had too many adjustments, too many appointments, too much catching up with academics, too much adoption debt, etc. Plus, anything unexpected or out of our typical routine sent some of the kids into a tailspin. Vacation was not a priority – we were just trying to manage the daily grind.
The early effects of James’ PTSD diagnosis and related episodes had left ALL of the kids reeling. The stress and uncertainty led us to make lifestyle changes that felt confining. It was really difficult for the kids to see past some of the trauma and connect with one another. Yet as we moved through 2018, we were seeing positive growth. Comfort levels were increasing. Seeds of trust were being planted… but we continued to feel like we needed a spark of some kind to ignite their sibling relationships.
And then there was sweet Esther who got sad whenever we talked about memories from before she joined our family. “Please stop talking about that. It makes me feel left out,” she’d say. And of course, it would – it was when our worlds and experiences were millions of miles apart!
We stumbled upon Adventure Is Out There (https://adventure.ngo/), a non-profit run by three amazing people who understand the needs of adoptive families. Their mission is to create nurturing experiences that spur bonding. All of a sudden, the idea of a vacation sounded doable. And not only doable, but it could also be the “spark” we needed to transition from surviving as a family to thriving as a family!
On Thanksgiving we let the kids know that we had been granted a trip to Disney World… and in January we experienced a magical week with AIOT and two other amazing adoptive families. We were supported and encouraged. The kids truly bonded. They had so much fun together and spent more time directly interacting than they ever have before. It was absolutely wonderful.
So we’re back to the daily grind, but with a ton of joint memories in our back pockets. We truly FEEL like a family! Thank you AIOT!!
We are committed to paying this experience forward and helping AIOT grant trips to future adoptive families. Are you interested in helping? Visit https://donorbox.org/aiot!
