Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
In Ecclesiastes 3:11, we read that God makes everything beautiful in its time. It is comforting to know that nothing is wasted in God's economy, but all of it will be used for our good and His glory. You're invited to join us for poignant conversations and compelling interviews centered on believing for His beauty in every season.
Everything Made Beautiful (00:01.782)
Well, Leah, thank you, thank you, thank you for being on the Everything Made Beautiful podcast. I'm so glad that we got to do this interview finally. We've been playing calendar tag for several months. So I'm excited about this conversation. Thanks for being here.
Leah (00:16.868)
No, happy to be here. And as we were saying before we recorded, it's just we're trusting that it's the perfect timing for it.
Everything Made Beautiful (00:25.59)
Yes, absolutely. So I've done your official bio. So people have a little bit of a heads up about your story. But for people who don't know you or are just learning about you, take us back to the beginning. what, how did you grow up? What was life like before that 16 year old moment that changed everything?
Leah (00:47.536)
Yeah, I think so often we forget that there's a whole story before even these transformative moments and defining moments of our life happen. And so the background of that was honestly a lot of heartache and trials and challenges. I grew up as an unplanned pregnancy myself from my parents in college and grew up with a single mom and visiting my dad every other weekend. A lot of moving, a lot of, you know,
Everything Made Beautiful (00:52.758)
Mm-hmm.
Everything Made Beautiful (01:07.427)
Mm.
Leah (01:17.69)
starting new schools, just a lot of instability for many years of my childhood. And I also was sexually abused in those early years of my life. so that I think, you know, hindsight has impacted a lot of the decisions I was making as a teenager, trying to find love and acceptance and, you know,
Everything Made Beautiful (01:27.342)
Hmm.
Leah (01:45.362)
taking my power back in a way that I wasn't consciously aware of as a teenager. And so by the time I found out I was pregnant at 16, really didn't like who I was. I, you know, there's just didn't feel like an authentic part of who I was. And...
Everything Made Beautiful (02:02.571)
Yeah.
Leah (02:10.106)
I think it just became the rock bottom that I needed to change directions of my life and God used that. So it's all that said, well, I had a very unstable childhood. I still had good parents. They still, had, know, seeds that were planted about faith, about God, going to church, listening to Christian music, going to Christian concerts.
the seeds were there so that when I hit rock bottom, God used that to really make those seeds bloom and become so real of who God is and his love for me. And, you know, that's really where it all shifted in my life from that moment.
Everything Made Beautiful (02:56.63)
Yeah. Yeah, you've said that the pregnancy was the turning point that drew you to the Lord. What, you know, a lot of times we see teen pregnancy either.
Leah (03:02.084)
Mm-hmm. Absolutely.
Everything Made Beautiful (03:09.418)
glorified in some cases of just like, look how sweet this is. And other times we can see the other direction where it's completely vilified and there doesn't seem to be any room for grace or help for that teenager. For you in describing it as rock bottom, what were you feeling in that time and then what did that journey of the Lord drawing you in look like for you?
Leah (03:37.074)
I think for me it was kind of hitting the end of myself of realizing I didn't have all the answers, especially going through my pregnancy journey trying to decide what was the right decision of do I parent? Do I consider adoption? You know, what am I supposed to do and who am I supposed to be? Which is just part of the teenage experience in general as a 16 year old. And so it just was a because of the love
that I had surrounding me and my parents and my teachers and my church community that was filled of that grace that you just referred to of that space to have made a decision that had hurt me. But also we could acknowledge the blessing of what she was and is as a person and within me at that time. And that there still was room for that hope and grace and love.
within the hurt and complexities of that time too, that we were navigating as a family. And that to me was the hands and feet of Jesus and seeing and experiencing the mercy and the grace and the love of who Jesus is and how he loved people. And my parents and my community around me was that for me. And I didn't feel
I might have keep shame on myself, but I wasn't on experiencing that through the relationships and the community I was in. And so that really is what changed my heart and my life was on being on the receiving end of that and that demonstration. just over time, just really that plus, okay, God, tell me what to do because I'm messing things up.
Everything Made Beautiful (05:14.467)
Mm.
Everything Made Beautiful (05:26.796)
Yeah.
Leah (05:28.412)
please tell me what to do, how do I heal? How do I, you know, how do I not let this bitterness or this grief or whatever I'm feeling consume me, but to make the best decision for her and to become a better person and to make better decisions. And so that, you can't do that unless you surrender, really, I feel like. And so that surrendering process.
Everything Made Beautiful (05:38.094)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (05:46.477)
Yeah.
Leah (05:55.716)
It was, I would say it's a slow progression, but there absolutely was a defining moment at seven months pregnant where I really just had felt him, you know, talk to me and prompt to me. But there was a moment of surrender that was just so clear of facing, what our future would look like if I stayed on the path I was on, or what, if I trusted him in the big picture of
what it could look like and how he could bless it and to trust him with that. And for me, that was choosing open adoption and choosing Jesus.
Everything Made Beautiful (06:32.322)
Yeah, that's so good. What a gift to find your relationship with the Lord in what could be looked at as the most painful time of your life. And so it's just a reminder to me of how God's grace meets us in every moment. There is no place where His grace can't reach us. So you mentioned that you chose open adoption, which isn't something a lot of people understand very deeply.
Why open adoption? What was it about that that gave you peace that, okay, in this painful moment for me, this is the next right step for my daughter?
Leah (07:12.848)
Yeah, yeah, even 21 years ago when I placed it was not really common. And I all I knew was closed adoption within my family. And the moment I knew I was pregnant, I loved my little girl. And I felt bonded to her and was wanted to be her mom and all the things it wasn't ever a choice out of not wanting or not loving her. It was
just realizing that I couldn't give her what I really wanted her to have as a mom. especially that father figure and having grown up in an unstable childhood, I didn't want to repeat that cycle with her. And, so that logical reasoning was weighing and tug of warring with the, love for her. so.
For once I learned about open adoption through talking to other birth moms and adoptive moms who had this really beautiful friendship and relationship together where they had visits, they had inside jokes, they had photos together and took trips together and just really extending their family over these, you know, these children that everybody loves. And seeing that modeled, I was thinking, you know, if I could have a relationship like that, that feels like.
something I'd be more comfortable with and really just kind of the best of both worlds with what I had at that time of where I could still provide her with that life of a family who is ready to love her. And then also still being present and still being a familiar face to her, being here to answer her questions, being a familiar face of what she looks like and why is she short like I'm short?
You know, those kinds of things, just those identity pieces and just helping her to have a more wholeness to her story. But that also helped my heart to watch her grow and to, you know, love her from the position I'm in in her life. And so for us, that's, it's just been such a gift and really redemptive to where we started at and it's become even greater than I imagined that it could be.
Everything Made Beautiful (09:34.893)
That, I mean, how sweet. What a gift to still be in relationship with her. And as wonderful as it sounds, I'm sure there were fears or hesitations or even hiccups along the way that you have wrestled through. Do you remember any of those specifically and maybe how God met you in that or what that journey was like for you?
Leah (10:00.69)
Absolutely. Adoption, you know, is as beautiful as my story is, it as you said, it does, it's still complex. They're still, it's starting with loss. It's starting with grief. And they're, you know, we balance both at the same time. And I but I think it's really important to acknowledge that it can be both at the same time. So in the beginning, as I'm surrendering to the Lord, but also surrendering my child to
the arms of essentially a stranger. That's really hard and a lot of fears of are they who they say they are? I've met you, know, heard about you through this letter you've written me and we've met in person a time or two, but they're still strangers. And so are you who you say you are? Are you going to uphold the commitments that we're talking about? There's many birth moms who are promised things and then lied to. Am I going to be one of those people that the door gets closed on?
Can I trust you? Are you gonna raise her as we're talking about you raising her? And are you gonna honor these commitments and honor my place in her life, any of those kinds of things? So there's a lot of fears, especially in the beginning. And while our relationship has been very open from the very beginning, her parents and I were very close and quickly connected and just.
It felt peaceful. felt, I kind of describe it kind of like when you find your spouse or a best friend, like your souls just connect and you just, it feels right. And so that was for me from the Lord an assurance of like, keep going, this is the right path. But then like God also did some really cool things that just assured my decision and who they were as people such as her name.
I had named her Kaylee Ann, in the time before choosing adoption, where I thought it was going to parent, when I found out she was a girl. So I'd been calling her Kaylee for months and then choosing adoption later on in the third trimester. and choosing this family, was like, I, you know, I really love you guys, but I, you know, I've also have named her. this something you would consider keeping or, you know, keeping parts of it? and they were like, we have a name too. And it was Kayla Ann.
Leah (12:22.338)
And so literally a syllable difference. And so of course they were like, Kaylee, Anna's perfect. I love like God was moments like that kept happening where it was just so clear that God was working on both of our hearts to really align our thoughts and our heart for our little girl that, and I love that her name and she loves that her name really.
Everything Made Beautiful (12:23.564)
Wow. my goodness.
Leah (12:49.222)
has pieces of both sides of her family. It's filled with names of people from both biological and adoptive parent sides, and just really embodies open adoption and her identity that's mixed with all of it. So just things like that kept happening and that helped to...
If I ever have had a hard day or sad day I'm always going back to that of like I know that this was the right decision for us and God made it so clear in those moments And of course, we've had things come up through the years, but I love that her parents being Believers as well and they've really modeled healthy communication they've modeled that grace and empathy and compassion for me and and I you know, we respect one another and
that has helped to overcome any of those sticky spots that come up as she's gotten older or things like technology comes into place where it wasn't as much of a thing 21 years ago, where we have to navigate, you know, what do we share? What do we keep private? How do we honor each other within those public spaces and things like that? I think overall, just having two families who really are invested and love the Lord has made it
Everything Made Beautiful (14:01.708)
Wow.
Everything Made Beautiful (14:06.381)
Yeah.
Leah (14:09.212)
just a smoother experience from, yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (14:13.11)
Yeah, that.
I mean, that is, I would imagine, a key. And for those who have closed adoptions and don't have the benefit of knowing what's the belief system of this family and how is my child being raised and all of that, the fact that you got to select them and that you, I like that you said they model such a healthy communication style. What a kind thing to say about the adoptive family. So I love that.
And you now have five children of your own with your husband. So how did your experience as a birth mom shape how you parent your kids today? I mean, I don't know, when did you have your, how old were you when you had your first child with your husband?
Leah (15:03.41)
Yeah, so I had, so I had Kaylee at 16 and then went to college and fell in love with my now husband and had, you know, similar patterns reemerge. So we had another unplanned pregnancy at my freshman year of college. And so we had her at 19. We got married at 19. So I've walked both paths. And so when I do have, um,
women who come to me for advice, like I've lived it both. It's both hard. They both are really beautiful in their own ways. Um, so I became a mom at 19 and we've been married since then. And again, have five children that have come in that time. And so I think as I've heard it said that when you're a birth mom who's chosen, chosen adoption,
that you learn the lesson of letting your children go from the beginning of life. Instead of it being 18, going off to college and launching them then, you learn it from day one. And that, I think, has stuck with me in how I parent that I cannot fit my children into a box like they are, who they're going to be and how God created them. And we can have
Everything Made Beautiful (16:06.23)
Wow. Yeah.
Leah (16:25.97)
plans and the Lord will guide our steps, but often it looks different than how we think exactly it'll look. but it's also taught me because I have missed moments with my birth daughter that while yes, we have a lot of really incredible memories together. went to every birthday party. had Christmas traditions. We've gone on trips together. We didn't have coffee together. We have so many incredible moments and I'm so grateful and those, the joy of that.
has really sustained me in our relationship and through the moments of grief. But it also, the reality is I've missed many of the daily moments of her childhood of just knowing what is her favorite food? What time does she get up? Who's her best friend? And I know those things now because we can talk about it, but especially in the early years, it was a lot different. just realizing like I've
for many years never had taken care of her when she was sick. And I've never had picked her up in car line. And while those are mundane things that I do daily for my children here, those are moments I've missed with her until much later in life when they happen to be during a visit. so to not take those little things for granted because all of those moments are, they're part of being a mom. And so it's,
Everything Made Beautiful (17:37.837)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Leah (17:52.75)
And the part of the joy of the privilege of raising children that we can get bogged down in in the day to day. But when we don't have them, you realize what you're missing out on. So it's, it's helped me to be more grateful as a mom and, and just honor all the different phases and those moments.
Everything Made Beautiful (18:04.131)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (18:12.77)
Well, I am just this year have launched my last bird from the nest. And so it's really poignant.
for me hearing you make that point that as a birth mom when you choose to put your child up for adoption you go through what I'm currently going through a lot earlier and so it would definitely frame the way that you parent your other kids because of what you've already had to walk through and you know you especially um in when I've read the stuff that you've written you talk really tenderly about grief and grace
You have to hold both at the same time in ways that you just gave us examples like the, you know, seemingly mundane things, but they're the things you associate with being a mom fully. Car lines and sickness and all those sorts of things. How, like what has God taught you or what has the journey been like where you've really learned to hold both at the same time? Because we're not...
My pastor often says everything is sadness and gladness. Like you're never fully glad all the way and you're never fully sad all the way. There's always a mingling of both. So what has that looked like for you with both the grief of your journey but also the grace in it?
Leah (19:36.752)
Yeah, I'm I think what I'm was coming to mind is validation that as I've walked 21 years of adoption and sitting in the birth mount community as a leader or as just as something just being sitting beside one another listening to their stories, the validation of you can feel grief and for for many.
century, for decades, there were women, birth moms who were told, you can't be sad about this, forget about it, move along, and just think you did a beautiful thing, you should be happy about it. But now we're reaching a place where we're realizing that they do coexist. And the validation that I received from my parents, from my social worker, from the in from the adoptive parents of their heart hurt for me, they cried for me.
And yes, they, and yet they also had a beautiful little baby that they were holding onto. And just the both of the intermingling of it and the validation that it's okay to have a sad moment or a sad day. And at the same time, be really grateful that I get to have all these incredible moments with them. And I think that has been such a revolutionary thing that I've seen come about in the.
faith community, but also in the, especially in the adoption community, how that's changed. but I would say for a moment of that, that is what has helped me through the hard days. And as I writing became a tool for me, as I was processing and healing, especially in the early years, and I realized that I would, you know, write a blog about missing her as her birthday was coming up or things like that.
But I realized that God would always circle me back to that moment of, know that this is where he called me to and the gratitude of, you know, these things hurt, but this is also, you know, he's made everything good come out of it. There's so much good that has come out of it and it can be both. So I just feel like it's interwoven in how God, I don't know how God works in us in multiple ways, even if you don't have adoption.
Everything Made Beautiful (21:42.232)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (21:55.971)
Yeah.
Leah (21:56.911)
in your story, he's always bringing beauty from ashes.
Everything Made Beautiful (22:03.202)
Yeah, amen. I have your book and I'm gonna put it in the show notes, because everyone needs to get it, but it's called The 16th Year. And so it's a memoir of sorts of this journey for you. What do you hope that readers walk away with? And.
you know, for me, this isn't part of my story, but there was so much of it that is still just like you said, whether,
unplanned pregnancy as part of your story or not. There's so much about God's grace and the way he meets us in grief and especially in unexpected circumstances of our lives that is universal. So what do you hope that readers walk away with after they read it? Whether it's that they're facing an unplanned pregnancy or maybe they're just in a season of deep disappointment or grief or similar.
Leah (23:00.446)
Yeah, I think the most important thing is just how, as you said, God meets us in these really hard places and how, just encourage that they can be of in these hard stories that the tangible ways that he shows up in. And I love reading memoirs for that reason of it's kind of like,
you know, remembering this is what God has done in this person's life and this is what God has done in my life. so when we're, you know, I still have moments where I'm like, okay, God, where are you? But I can look back and remember, okay, he's done this before he can do it again. And so I hope it's that for somebody else, that it's just encouragement of seeking the Lord and surrendering to him and trusting him with whatever is going on in their life. Interesting enough,
Everything Made Beautiful (23:54.894)
Hmm.
Leah (23:56.78)
Most people who come to my story are adoptive parents. then there, it's not often as much the unplanned pregnancies, it's the adoptive parents who are like, I want to love a birth parent. Well, how do I do that? And so for them, I really hope that it's also an encouragement of how to be the hands and feet of Jesus and these loving on these women who are in a really hard place and need love through
Everything Made Beautiful (24:00.803)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (24:11.192)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (24:23.214)
Yeah.
Leah (24:25.906)
this crisis they're in.
Everything Made Beautiful (24:28.386)
When did you realize, I'm supposed to share this story? Because this is not the normal trajectory that a birth mom would necessarily choose. So when did you realize, Leah, this is not just for you. It's for the sharing.
Leah (24:48.166)
Yeah, many birth moms and I still meet them today and like retreats have felt very quiet and silence and they feel ashamed to share their story. And, and that breaks my heart because, you know, that shame is broken when we are empowered to tell our story and what, the hurts are and where the grace is and the goodness and all the things.
But I think again, because I had such a safe community with my parents and other birth moms and I had a support system that in my personal life, again, because it was validated of these feelings and there's these really cool experiences that I'm having with the Lord. So I began writing in a digital blog when I was
pregnant with her. And it was more private back then, but then as I, especially as God was really starting to just be so evident in our story, those fingerprints and those love notes and things that were just so clear from the Lord. And especially as I was turning to him personally of, okay, God, this is my life. I have this new chapter.
What do I do with it? Where do I go? How do I heal? And it was so intimate during those healing years after having her. And I really felt like from, I would say very soon after she was born, I knew I wanted to write a book. And I thought I would write it a lot sooner than 18 years after she was born. But that hope and that dream has been there since.
than she was born because of how intimate that time was with the Lord. But it started, it more so took place as a blog and writing through healing and turned into freelance writing. And then I realized the time that the book did come out, she had, I finished writing when she was 18. And at that point we had walked a whole childhood together in open adoption and that it's not as talked about and not as seen.
Everything Made Beautiful (26:41.186)
Wow.
Everything Made Beautiful (27:03.607)
Yeah.
Leah (27:07.876)
And so I feel like much like this podcast, it was the perfect timing. wasn't my timing, but the God, God had delayed it until it was the right time to have a fuller picture of what this could look like.
Everything Made Beautiful (27:15.267)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (27:21.516)
Yeah. You giving God your yes is what has opened the door for this.
very specific and so needed ministry to women and families. You mentioned that one of the ways that you've seen God use it is that adoptive families will look to you for wisdom and counsel on how to have a great relationship with their birth mom or birth parents. What other ways have you seen God use that story and use that journey and how have you been able to come alongside people in similar
stories.
Leah (28:00.632)
Mm-hmm. think that's what's interesting is because different people will come at it with different lenses, you know, and so the adoptive parents are reading it going, my gosh, this is this helps me to know what she's feeling right now, what it feels like in the hospital, what she'll be facing and how I can love her through that. Or just opening their eyes to something that they haven't experienced, you know, and I
Everything Made Beautiful (28:21.326)
Hmm.
Leah (28:29.484)
One of the biggest rewards that I've heard continually is I wouldn't have the relationship that I have with my child's birth family if it wasn't for your story. And so that God just continually using that to better adoption experiences is why I feel led to share and what I have felt from the beginning. So that to me is one of the biggest honors to be a small piece of that and improving adoption relationships.
Everything Made Beautiful (28:38.926)
Mm.
Leah (28:59.582)
I've also seen my story, saved babies from abortion and to know that, even if they, didn't necessarily choose adoption and that's fine. I'm not like pro adoption all the time. I'm very much like, you do what's right for you and what God's calling you to do. but to know that my story of just having that piece of hope of I can take a minute and think about this.
Everything Made Beautiful (29:05.902)
Wow.
Leah (29:28.976)
and not rush into a decision and that, you know, a woman has her grandchild here today because of just hearing my story. And that, I mean, it's God, but it's, that's very humbling.
Everything Made Beautiful (29:29.091)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (29:44.963)
Yeah, our podcast, obviously from the title, the whole point is that we believe God is making everything beautiful in its time. you know, even just that illustration of there's a grandmother who has her grandchild here because abortion was no longer the option once your story of hope was shared. What a way that God has made everything beautiful from your story. And from brokenness and from even
even ashes that we feel like there's no way this comes back together. But he's the only one who can do it and he's so faithful to do it. So I love that and I'm so grateful for your willingness to steward your story well, because as I said, it's your yes that is making all of this possible. I don't want to forget to mention funding love because that's how we connected is that you saw that I had been part of that.
Leah (30:41.848)
Okay, yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (30:45.056)
and you had been part of it. So I'd love for you just to talk a little bit about what you experienced with Funding Love. We have had Caitlin and Mallory on the podcast before. So our community is familiar with it, but for those who are not, I'd love for you to just talk a little bit about your experience.
Leah (31:01.234)
Oh my gosh, yeah, so I got to go on one of the birth mom trips in 2022 and we just had the reunion two weeks ago. so, oh my goodness, especially as someone who has been in the adoption community for 21 years and works in the adoption community. And I'm pretty consistently every day talking about my story and pouring out into others to be poured back into.
Everything Made Beautiful (31:11.736)
Mm-hmm.
Leah (31:28.882)
It was such a breath of fresh air and as a mom of five I'm tired and so to be able to go on this trip that just felt so lavished on and everything was taken care of the you know, the hotel arrangements were beautiful the you know, the person I was paired with and and You know as my roommate during that trip we have bonded for life And you know, she she has a really beautiful open adoption story, but and she's you know her daughter's
Everything Made Beautiful (31:33.218)
Yes.
Everything Made Beautiful (31:43.639)
Hmm.
Everything Made Beautiful (31:51.297)
Mmm.
Leah (31:58.514)
15 years younger. So for her to have someone to see what it can look like 15 years older, there was just so much beauty that came out of it and joy and just feeling like a kid again. And, you know, I, I think we can get so bogged down into again, the mundane things that can be really beautiful, but also it's going to be a lot. And so just to be able to step back and feel like a kid again and just find joy in those.
Everything Made Beautiful (32:04.003)
Wow.
Everything Made Beautiful (32:19.82)
Mm-hmm.
Leah (32:27.886)
those little moments in that community that you build with birth moms who understand all the different layers of adoption, even with very different stories. So was incredible.
Everything Made Beautiful (32:39.405)
Yeah.
I'm so glad you got to do that. I wondered if you went to the reunion. So I'm so thrilled that you got to do that. For those of you who do not remember what Funding Love is, it's a nonprofit organization that provides post adoption experiences, both for adoptive families to be able to bond with their child, but also for birth moms, because it's just been really important to them. And God's put it on their heart that birth moms
Leah (32:45.968)
Mm-hmm.
Everything Made Beautiful (33:11.632)
so often as we talked about at the beginning, feel unseen, feel a lot of shame, feel a lot of isolation. In many cases, there are birth moms who've never met another birth mom and so are unaware that so many have similar stories. so Funding Love provides experiences and opportunities for birth moms to meet one another and to really be kids again and go on all expenses paid trips to Disney World.
and to just experience what it's like to exist without shame and feel seen and valued and known. So I know Leah had been part of that. Jeff and I support it wholeheartedly. And so if you are like, I'm wondering where I should give my money. I wholeheartedly think you should give it to Funding Love so that they can continue to support adoptive.
parents and birth parents after the adoption because that is where a lot of government and community support tends to fall off. There's lots of support up to the adoption and then post adoption there's a lot of overwhelm and a lot of unmet needs and burdens and feelings and that's where funding love comes in. So just wanted to give that little commercial and that plug because I know Leah and I both think that that is such a phenomenal
Leah (34:15.535)
Okay.
Everything Made Beautiful (34:35.556)
organizations. So yes, yes they're amazing and if you know somebody who's an adoptive family or a birth mom they would love to know about that and be part of helping walk through the the after adoption experience with them.
Leah (34:35.73)
Yeah, all around great experience.
Everything Made Beautiful (34:54.958)
So Leah, before we go, I would just love to give you a minute. If there is somebody right now who is listening to, or watching this podcast and they're walking through an unexpected place, a crisis, maybe it's an unplanned pregnancy, or they have a daughter possibly, or son who is walking through this, what would you want to say to them? What word of encouragement would you speak to them who find themselves in a season they never saw coming?
Leah (35:26.416)
First of all, I'd say there I have a devotional for this called flourishing hope. And that's what I hope people will get as is hope for when it feels like our world is burned down to ashes. And as you said before, like how can God create something beautiful? This I, my, my friends, Katie is a birth mom as well. And she was really, we were really inspired by the fire weed that
Everything Made Beautiful (35:42.723)
Yeah.
Leah (35:55.922)
is a flower that pops up after forest fires. And so it's like the first spring, you know, little colorful moments that pop up in this when moments of devastation that, know, there's still smoke in the air and yet this little pink flower is starting to pop up. And it's that hope that, you know, you can physically see of like life is going to return. And even if things are completely changed.
Everything Made Beautiful (35:59.597)
Wow.
Leah (36:23.388)
God can still regrow a forest and beauty around. so definitely seek that out. you are someone who is experiencing that unplanned pregnancy or know someone who is highly recommend that devotional that we wrote, it's not from a place of choose adoption. It's a place of what is God telling you to do and just seeking intimacy with him and just helping to release shame and guilt and
Everything Made Beautiful (36:45.656)
Mm.
Leah (36:54.022)
you know, figuring out what your path is and where the pieces that you need to follow. And then we have a birth mom edition of that for healing post adoption coming out very soon too. But I think as we were talking about before of remember what God has done in your life and or if you don't haven't seen that yet, look to stories like mine, look to how he's worked in other people's lives. Kind of like, you know, in the Bible,
Everything Made Beautiful (37:05.581)
Wow.
Everything Made Beautiful (37:13.24)
Yeah.
Leah (37:22.246)
We hear a lot about how the Israelites, you know, were saved out of, out of, captivity. And then they're like, no, let's go back. Let's go back. And it's like, no, remember what God has done and what he can do. And so that's that for me has always been the, the anchor to my, my faith of, okay, God, I'm to trust you in this, even though I don't see it yet. So I hope that that listeners will, however, that applies to the life. We'll hold on to that hope.
Everything Made Beautiful (37:29.858)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (37:44.6)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (37:50.272)
Yes, I will. And I will link that all of that in the show notes. So if you're like, wait, what was the name of it? Don't worry. Just check the show notes. I'll make sure that it's linked there along with Leah's book, website, all that good stuff. Well, Leah, I just have to say.
I say this a lot when people come on and share their stories, but I'm really aware that it costs you something to tell your story. It costs you something, your family something. It costs your daughter something to share the story. So I just want to say thank you for that because I do think that our stories are given to us in many cases, not just for us, but for the good of other people. You know, the word of our testimony is what often God uses to bring
people tangible hope in really hard seasons. So thank you for sharing yours and for just stewarding it well. And I want to before we go, I want to ask you the question that I ask all my guests because obviously this is the Everything Made Beautiful podcast. So if you could design your perfect beautiful day, what would it look like from start to finish? And it can be anything you can time travel, there's no
restrictions in the perfect beautiful day.
Leah (39:09.202)
I love that question. So I am a very quiet person, very slow. So I love a good slow morning where I can just wake up when I wake up, you know, maybe when the birds are already out and saying, you know, being able to drink my cup of coffee at a slow pace and read, you know, my Bible study and pray with the Lord, like starting with that.
Everything Made Beautiful (39:22.03)
Mm.
Leah (39:39.11)
I love nature. So if I could have my way, I would probably transport to the mountains of where I could take a hike with a friend or my husband. and then I would probably come back and take a nap with my cats and read a book. And I do. Yeah. yeah, I think that's that to me is.
Everything Made Beautiful (39:47.17)
Yes.
Everything Made Beautiful (39:54.318)
Mm-hmm. You do have five kids, so the nap has to happen.
Leah (40:08.306)
What brings a lot of joy is just not feeling rushed into getting God's creation and have laughter with a friend or laughter with my husband. And I would love a dinner with my family that I probably didn't have to cook, but was still nourishing. And I don't know, maybe play board games with them. We like to do that to connect.
Everything Made Beautiful (40:26.476)
Yes, yes.
Leah (40:36.714)
If we can find moments to slow down. and I'm an early to bed kind of person, so probably be in bed by 10.
Everything Made Beautiful (40:46.476)
Yeah, this all sounds good. I like your perfect, beautiful day. It's very chill. Sometimes people are traveling all over the world and hiking miles and miles and doing all kinds of stuff. Yours is very chill, and I like that. That resonates with me.
Leah (40:48.77)
Yeah.
Leah (41:01.49)
That is who I am. don't like being, I love traveling and things like that, but it's not like, it's exciting, but I can only do that in small doses. Like this is, that's much more sustainable and it's just more recharging. So.
Everything Made Beautiful (41:09.23)
Mm-hmm.
Everything Made Beautiful (41:14.414)
Yeah.
Everything Made Beautiful (41:18.722)
Yes, well, I love it. I love your perfect, beautiful day. And thank you, thank you so much for sharing your story. I can't wait for people to read the book and get the devotional and just be helped as you recount the ways that God has helped you. So thank you.
Leah (41:38.608)
No, thank you for having me and sharing our story with more people. just thank you for a great conversation.
Everything Made Beautiful (41:46.317)
Mm-hmm.
Yes, well guys check the show notes, follow Leah, read the book, read the devotional, check out Funding Love if you need a resource for support post adoption and tell somebody else, tell a friend, tell somebody else the hope that Leah has shared through her story and pass that hope along and as always be on the lookout for the ways that God is making everything beautiful around you.
but also including you. And we'll see you next time.