Where I Belong

Emily was born in 2004 in a suburb of Dallas. She was so cute. A little thing, weighing just 5.7 ounces. Fit right in the palm of my hand. Her little nose was the most precious thing ever and her eyes pierced your soul.

Within a few weeks I went to see her again at the hospital and she was full of life. Grunting and squirming like the others around her. Yet, something about Emily was different. Just not sure what it was. Strange thing is she almost seemed to recognize me when I came near. Her little eyes perked up and she became more active. I enjoyed just feeding her and loving on her. She was so soft and cuddly it put tears in my eyes. I knew whoever she belonged to was certainly blessed beyond words. She had to be the joy of their life.

Nine months later I was asked to drop by and visit a local shelter for children in the area. In the States we don’t like to call them what they are – orphanages. But they do exist. Last I had heard nearly 30,000 kids alone in Fort Worth needed to be adopted and needed a family. It’s a sad truth but over 3,000,000 in these United States don’t have anyone to call “mom” or “dad”. I could never understand that. Just broke my heart.

My wife and I had thought about adopting at some point. But despite my career and volunteering efforts, we never took it any farther than just a random thought. If God wanted us to He would make it clear, right? Besides, adoption was kind of like a final option if the wife had issues having kids. We wanted to have our own children.

Making my rounds in this shelter and seeing all of the children without homes was never easy though. Kids just reflect God’s love and grace like nothing else. They loved the attention no matter the age. The baby area always got to me too. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around these little ones being homeless. But it happens.

Walking in that day I spent time going from crib to crib and bed to bed loving on those precious kids. The entire time I prayed asking God to take care of these little ones. After all, everyone deserves to be loved and everyone deserves a family.

Walking around a corner a lady approached me with a bundle in her arms.

“Can you hold her a second?” she asked. “I need to attend to something and this one has really been an issue the last few weeks. She just won’t stop crying.”

“Sure,” I said taking the bundle with a smile. I knew my magic would probably calm the little one down.

“Now, now,” I said as I looked down at the child.

Staring back at me was Emily.

I nearly lost it at that moment. Thoughts rushed through my mind faster than I could process them. I was speechless. How could this little bundle of love be in this place? Where were her parents? The outrage and pain hit me right in the chest. Didn’t she belong to someone?

Her eyes perked up and immediately she stopped crying. Piercing my mind, her eyes begged for belonging and familiarity. I was something she knew.

I didn’t know what to do in that moment but one thing was certain, I had to do something. I mean, you don’t just emotionally decide to take a child home like you would a puppy, do you? Emotions were all over the place.

I sat in a chair. Time was frozen.

Little Emily just snuggled up against me and fell asleep. Peace.

A few hours later Emily’s care worker came to get her from me. “Wow,” she said seeing her asleep. “You really do have some magic. This little girl has been a pain for months. Finally, we can get some peace around here.”

Her words weren’t mean for harm, but they hit me in the gut like a Mike Tyson punch.

“You want peace!?” I thought. “What about little Emily?”

I left that day and cried for hours on the way home. My life would never be the same.

Eighteen years later my wife and I cried once again as we watched Emily cross the stage at her graduation. Our daughter was on the way to adulthood. That same personality at 9 months of age was alive and well. She was the life of the show most of the time. Too many friends to even count. She was smarter than all of us and was headed to college in the fall to begin her career in robotic medicine. God always has a plan doesn’t He?

I still visit those children a few times a year and since then more than one friend of ours has also given a child a family to call their own.

Nearly two decades ago I had no idea how much life was about to change for so many when I walked in to that shelter that day.

But one thing will never change as long as we all shall live. Emily didn't belong in that shelter.

Emily belonged to us.

"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows." Isaiah 1:17


(c) 2012, J. Brady

"I say it how I see it and make no bones about it.”


(this was a fictional account of adoption)