By Elizabeth Strauch '04
As we pursue what matters to us, we often encounter false starts, failures, surprising shifts or unexpected obstacles. We may have to change plans, change our definition of success or adjust our expectations. In times of doubt and disappointment, we seek stories of those who have traveled a similar road.
Alumni Jaime (Fangio) Stoess '03 and Brian Stoess '05 met at Whitworth, married in 2005, and planned to have a child by 2010. In 2013, when they realized pregnancy was not likely to happen naturally, they began looking into adoption. Their revised timeline lengthened, and came to include points of heartache, waning patience and moments of hope.
As the late poet Mary Oliver wrote, "Things take the time they take." This is the time – and the trials – it took the Stoesses to become a family of three.
Quotes excerpted from Jaime's blog:
March 2013
"I've never, ever felt called to adoption. It's never appealed to me. One day I realized that God was probably trying to change my heart, so I did the natural thing and got mad. 'Why me?' Adoption takes time to process. Right now I am feeling okay about it – some days I’m even excited by the thought."
November 2014
Adoption agency chosen, paperwork begins.
