What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why?
I don’t know if this was the hardest decision I’ve ever made, but it was definitely a difficult one that I’ll share.
About eight years ago, I was driving home from the mall with my 10-month-old daughter when I got a frantic call from my sister-in-law. She was yelling, “They’re taking her away from me! Can you please come get her?”
I called my husband right after, and he told me, “Just go home. Don’t get involved in this.” For a moment, I hesitated, unsure of what to do. But then I turned the car around and headed toward her.
When I got to the house, the police and child protective services were there. They were, in fact, taking her one-year-old daughter away.
Before I fully understood what was happening, they brought the baby out, handed me a business card, and said, “Follow us.”
I drove to their office, and my husband joined me later. At that point, we had no idea where my sister-in-law’s daughter was or what would happen next.
A social worker sat us down and tried to convince us that we didn’t need to take the baby, saying, “There are plenty of families who can care for her.”
But my husband and I both knew, without needing to say much, that if we decided to take her, she wouldn’t just be a temporary responsibility. She would become ours.
Still, we were overwhelmed. We were brand-new parents with a 10-month-old. Could we handle suddenly raising a one-year-old, too? We asked for a little time to think about it, but deep down, we knew this was a decision we couldn’t put off.
We told them we couldn’t do it. We asked if we could at least say goodbye.
When they brought her in, I looked at her little face and started crying. I turned to my husband and said, “We’re taking her.”
The road ahead was long and hard, but it was absolutely worth it. She’s with family where she belongs, and now she’s eight years old, missing teeth and full of life.
I have a good relationship with my sister-in-law today, and everything feels as it should be.
Looking back, I’m so thankful we chose to take her. In fact, we now have one of her sons with us, too—he’s two years old. This time, having been through it before, the decision wasn’t hard.
It hasn’t been easy, but the right choice rarely is. And yet, it’s always rewarding
The Wild Gems 