God's Beauty revealed to me.

I had the opportunity yesterday to see God's glory and presence like I have never seen it before in my life. It was extremely overwhelming, emotional, and beautiful. Beautiful is the best word I can use to describe what I was blessed to witness.

I was fortunate enough to get to Photograph an adoption. I was photographing the birthmom with the new baby and the adoptive parents with the new baby. When I arrived, the birth mom was in the room with the baby, I got the cute little guy naked, and took some pictures of him, so cute, I redressed him about the time the adoptive parents came to the room. To see the interaction between these 2 sets of parents, was AWE-inspring. You'd think they had been friends their whole lives. you could tell that these 2 women really truly cared for each other, and the welfare of this new child.

The birthmother, a young mom who struggled with even wanting to continue the pregnancy early on, and yet carried this baby, who initially she had an emotional detachment with. She knew that she could not raise this child on her own, and eventually through the counseling of others decided to put the baby up for adoption. Initially, she wanted a closed adoption, but she later decided on an open adoption, chose this particular family, and they began a bond. I asked her how she came to choose the family that she did, my exact question was "what about them, stood out to you on paper, that you chose them?" She told me that when the agency first sent her parent profiles, they sent her 3 of them. she read the first profile and cried the whole way through it. She said she didn't want to just pick that one cause it was the first one she read, like buying the first car you look at, so she read the others, but they didn't have the same effect, she went back and re-read the first one and cried again, she told me "it was the Lord's way of telling me this was the family" So she chose them, and everything was wonderful. She had a very difficult labor, and was pretty tired, but was bonding well with the baby.

The adoptive parents, in their early 30s (a guess) were the sweetest people I have met in a long time, very genuine and down to earth. They had been with the adoption agency for 3 years, and the week before they got the call that they had been chosen, were going to double apply to another agency, because they had yet to find a baby. but, they were called and told they were picked as a family. They knew it was God's plan. You could see the love they had for this baby in their eyes, and not just their tears of joy, but in everything they did, you could just "sense" love.

I then photographed this new baby, with the adoptive parents. It was unlike all the other newborn sessions i've done. These parents had a sense of pride, and longing for this baby, unlike that i've ever seen before. You could really tell that they had wanted this baby for a real long time, and that their prayers were finally answered. I also photographed the baby with the birth mother, and then all of them together.

There was a sense of God in that room, that I have never felt before. and I'm not sure i'll ever feel it like that again. The presence the feeling in that room, I do not have words to describe. The best word i can give it is "beautiful" I watched as all of these people, (including the case worker) gathered around and prayed. they thanked God for the birth mother and her strength, for the baby, for the adoptive parents. The scripture tells us where 2 or more are gathered in God's name he will be. I have heard this many times, but during this prayer, this was the first time I have ever felt it that strong. There was absolutely NO DOUBT that god was in this room. That he created this baby and intended it for these parents. You could tell that God had his hand in this situation, it was so calm, tension free, and there was so much love...i'm trying to put it to words for you, but words fail me. it absolutely was the most beautiful thing i've seen! EVER! more beautiful than even my own children's birth....and it was all because God was present!!

As the birth mom was leaving the room to go home, there was such a calmness around her, she knew that his baby she had given life to was in the hands of great parents, not only that, but in the hands of God. And the adoptive mother had this look of complete joy, the realization, that she was actually going to take her son home. That all her prayers had been answered. That baby was handed over in love, and surrounded in God's love. God took a woman, who could bear children, but was struggling, and gave her a child. Then he lead this woman to give that child to the parents he intended for it, the parents who could not have children of their own. It was the most humbling experience.

When i left that hospital, i cried the whole way home, not because I was sad, but because i was so overwhelmed emotionally. Being in God's presence will do that to you. I was happy for everyone involved, everyone's prayers were answered, and God was there, present, personally to make sure it happened. I have NEVER felt GOd like that before, and I sit here now, trying to explain it to you, while I have goosebumps thinking about it, but trust me, my words do not do it justice!!

I hope that one day everyone of you can experience God's presence like I did. It has completey changed my outlook!