Whenever people find out that I work in the field of adoption, the first question I always hear is, “Don’t you just love holding all of those precious babies?” Without a doubt, watching a new little life enter the world is an indescribable feeling that I will never take for granted. But truth be told, the most rewarding and humbling part of my job as a birthmother caseworker for Covenant Care Services is working with women who are considering adoption as an option for their unborn babies. Their courageous and selfless decisions inspire me daily as I walk with them through the journey of an unplanned pregnancy. One such inspiring woman is Katie. She called Covenant Care in early 2009 hoping to find answers to her questions about adoption. What followed was an incredible journey filled with respect and love as we literally walked through her pregnancy towards an adoption plan.

 

From the moment I met Katie, she blew me away with her sweet spirit and bubbly personality. She was in her second trimester at the time of our first meeting and was eager to learn more about the adoption process and what her options would be in making this choice for her baby. As we mapped out a plan for the following months, she mentioned that she loved to keep herself (and the baby) as healthy as possible by walking almost every day through her neighborhood. As her caseworker, and a fitness enthusiast, I was THRILLED, so we planned our weekly meetings around her walks. Each week, we would meet to discuss her adoption plan and in the process, walk about three miles. From choosing the adoptive couple to discussing her desire for an open adoption, we managed to walk and sweat through some of the most important decisions she would make in the life of her child. We even walked in the final week of her pregnancy! And with each step, Katie grew more and more confident in her decision to choose adoption for her precious baby girl.

 

Late in the summer of 2009, Katie gave birth to a healthy baby girl and allowed Covenant Care to place her daughter with the couple she had so carefully chosen months earlier. In the weeks and months that followed, Katie and I continued to meet and walk as she worked through the natural process of grief and healing that takes place after making an adoption plan for your child. It’s been over a year since Katie made an adoption plan and I am privileged to still be a part of her incredible adoption journey. We don’t meet as frequently as we once did, but with the 1^st Annual Ridge Run soon approaching, we decided to break out the old walking shoes in hopes of turning them into running shoes for the race benefiting Covenant Care. It was an incredible honor to walk with Katie through her pregnancy. And it will be a joy to watch her run in honor of her daughter and the life she so thoughtfully chose for her.