December 2004 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

56
My Daughter’s
ChoiceNAME
WITHHELD
My daughter Maren (name
has been changed) has
contributed much to our
family, but perhaps the characteristic
I admire most about her is her
great empathy for others. As a
teenager she attracted many friends because
they saw in her someone who would
not judge, who would not scorn, and who would listen.
Unfortunately, these qualities also attracted some individuals
who would later take advantage of her.
Because of this and because of a series of poor decisions
she had made, Maren became pregnant not long after
graduating from high school. Before she realized she
was expecting a baby, she had begun attending an institute
class; she recognized something was missing from her life
and concluded that a change of friends might be a start to
finding wholeness. As she began the institute course of
study and as these new friends surrounded her, she commenced
a journey that would change and test her beyond
anything she had ever experienced.
When Maren discovered she was expecting, she was dismayed
to realize that her path to repentance and forgiveness
was going to require a great sacrifice. She determined
to carry the baby to term and place it for adoption with a
worthy couple through LDS Family Services. When she
broke the news of her pregnancy to my wife and me, we
were extremely saddened by
the choices she had made
that brought her to this point.
Nevertheless, her commitment
to place the baby for adoption and
her desire to change gave us hope
that she might at last come back and
partake of the blessings of the gospel.
As Maren worked with LDS Family Services to
choose an adoptive family, she scanned through the
applicants’ profiles and was instantly drawn to a particular
couple. She felt a confirmation of the Holy Ghost that this
was the couple who would lovingly raise this baby.
During this time, Maren worked hard at reading her scriptures
daily and offering fervent prayers that included her
pleas for forgiveness. Finally the day arrived when the baby
would be born. Now the time began that would be most
difficult for us all and particularly heartrending for Maren.
That day Maren asked me to write a letter that could be
given to this child at some future time by his parents, if
they so chose. This is some of what I wrote:
“Dear Grandson,
“I write this letter not knowing if or when you might
read these words. I’m sitting at a table while close by your
birth mother is rocking you in her arms. Tomorrow she
will lay you in the arms of your adoptive mother and father,
to whom you will be sealed in the temple of our God.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT CASEY, POSED BY MODELS