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SALT LAKE CITY — The year I turned 5, I asked my parents a significant question: "Why don't I have any brothers or sisters?"
This was a simple, yet legitimate question.
It was then that my parents explained that due to my mother's infertility, I would probably be an only child for a long time.
I just kept crying, "I don't understand. I don't understand." Some understandings are extremely difficult for a child to grasp. I just knew that I was lonely.
That emotion would soon change to elation.
The November of my kindergarten year, my mom, who teaches high school, picked me up from school with some exciting news. "One of my students is pregnant, and she and her boyfriend want to meet you and daddy this evening," she said. "They are thinking about adoption."
I was ecstatic.
I just kept crying, "I don't understand. I don't understand." Some understandings are extremely difficult for a child to grasp. I just knew that I was lonely.
"They want to meet me?" I said.
"Absolutely," she said. "In fact, I talk about you and your dad all the time in my classes. So, they are excited to finally meet you and your daddy."
"Are they bringing the baby with them?" I asked.
"Well, yes, but not in the way you're thinking. The little one is still in its mommy's tummy," Mom said.
The first thing I did when we returned home from school was clean my room, because I wanted to impress our guests. The student and her boyfriend arrived a few minutes after 7:00, and I answered the door.
"Are you Brianna?" the girl asked.
I beamed and nodded without response.
"Well, it is very nice to finally meet you," she said.
The student had beautiful blue eyes that held a deep concern. I wanted to wrap my arms around her, but at that point, my parents welcomed our guests into the family room. I anxiously listened to their conversation, attempting to decipher their words: "social worker," "June," "right choice," "adoption."
I kept glancing at my parents, especially my mom. I whispered to her, ‘Why are you crying?'"
"Because I am so happy, little miss. You're going to be a big sister," she said.
My little sister was born in July; my parents named her Bethany after her birth mom. The couple brought Bethany to our home wrapped in a yellow fleece blanket three days after she was born. They handed Bethany to me first; I was a big sister.
Sadie and Bethany may not have come out of my Mom's tummy, but they are in her heart every day.
I actually have two adopted siblings, and both stories are quite similar. My second sister, Sadie, was adopted three years after Bethany. I will never fully understand their sacrifice, but they will always be my heroes.
My sisters are now 11 and 8 years of age. They know how special and loved they are in our family. They each know their adoption story and how much joy they have brought to my mom, dad and myself.
Sadie and Bethany may not have come out of my Mom's tummy, but they are in her heart every day.
If you are reading this, and if you are pregnant and still in High School, I implore you to please consider placing your baby for adoption with a loving couple who are currently unable to have children of their own. You will bring so much joy and make a family complete with your unselfish sacrifice. Your "mistake" can be a silver lining to a young couple who yearn for a child of their own.
For more on Brianna's story and other adoption stories, go to unitedforadoption.blogspot.com.
