"Beth?" Helen's distant voice broke through my confusion.

"Ohh... he's so much older than we expected." And somewhere deep inside a voice was shouting, No! I wanted a baby. You knew that. Although the shout never came out, Helen seemingly sensed my conflict, her voice subtly changing - becoming gentler, more persuasive.

"I know Beth, I know. But Scott looks so much like you, it's unbelievable. He's blonde like you, with the biggest brown eyes, and freckles on his nose - AND perpetually skinned knees. He's a real boy, Beth. Exactly what Jim would love on the farm."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I created this meme as a result of a prompt word challenge some years ago. If you should want to read it, I called it 'The Bigger Picture' [ link in Comments box below]

The names are changed, and a few details - very few - but otherwise this is the story of the first of our adoptions; the first time we romantically hoped our love and security would heal all wounds. We believed our small human rescues would probably always wear an emotional scar - but only as a vague and distant reminder of a different past. So we hoped and prayed and believed.

We were wrong, but we shared many happy years with our 'cherubs three' before their past came back to haunt each of them and change all our lives forever. But that is another story [or three] that I am still unable to write, though it's decades ago now.