November is National Adoption Month

For those of you who don't know, November is National Adoption Month. For some of you that may not mean anything at all, but for others it means a great deal. I am one of those people that it means a lot to. Five, almost six years ago now on December 26th I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl that was named Ashlyn Bailey Cantrell. I placed her for adoption on December 29 with a couple named Steve and Julie Cantrell. They were living in New York, and now they live in Ohio, and have been able to have three of their own after getting Ashlyn. What a blessing, they just needed her so they could start their family.

My mom was adopted, my sister Danielle has adopted Preslie, and my sister Mechelle has adopted Gabe, I also have an aunt and uncle who were adopted. Adoption has touched me in so many ways, and has changed my life. There has never been a harder experience in my life than placing Ashlyn for adoption, but there also has never been a decision in my life that has had such a far reaching effect on some one else. What a neat thing to have available to make families whole. I can't imagine a world that would be created where people just couldn't have children and that was that. The Lord is very mindful of couples who have that righteous desire, and I truly know that children get to the families that they were meant to be with. I know that birthmoms are used as tools to get those children where they need to be. And although the choices that usually get birthmoms where they are when they find themselves pregnant are not good, I know that the Lord watches out for them, and blesses them in many ways, both while they are pregnant and afterwards.



I want to thank a lot of people that have to do with adoption, for starters I want to thank my grandmas & grandpas for both adopting and giving me an open mind about adoption. I want to thank my sisters & their husbands for adopting Preslie and Gabe and giving them great lives. If all girls who were pregnant could place their children with people that were as good as my sisters & their husbands, more girls would place and feel satisfied with their decision. I want to also thank my parents for helping me and being loving and supportive while I was pregnant. I want to thank Steve and Julie for being such amazing parents, and for giving Ashlyn what I couldn't at that time. I also want to give a big thanks to my sweet husband who knew when he took me on our first date that I had placed a child for adoption. He took me out anyways. I truly love him for being so accepting of me and my past choices. Thank you, I love you so much.

My sister Danielle and her husband Alan are in the process of trying to adopt another child. I am attaching a link to their adoption profile. If you know anyone who is trying to find a family to place their child with, please send them to look at their profile. They are wonderful parents, and have such a happy, fun and loving environment in their home. https://itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/23078349/ourMessage.jsf