So when Eli and I go up into Canada on one of his “epic” canoe trips, we always make sure to pack multiple compasses. He uses it to orient our canoe in the right direction as he is navigating on his complicated-looking topographic map. He keeps one on him in case we get lost in the woods. Hey, I’m terrible with a compass, but I even keep one just in case we lose his. Compasses are essential for the outdoor enthusiast. Don’t you ever wish that life would just give you a compass?

I’d love to know where our “true north” is right now in our adoption journey. We are facing an interesting time and could use a compass to steer us in the right direction. Our Wisconsin private home study will be expiring in the middle of February, and we are currently in a very interesting position. In a normal situation a waiting adoptive family for DIA (domestic infant adoption) would just renew their home study, typically through their agency, and continue to wait, get their name out there, and hope that an opportunity comes along. Unfortunately, for various reasons, we are choosing to not continue our adoption journey with our current agency.

In the last six weeks we have been researching tirelessly. We are open to so many things, which is wonderful, but it has also made our decision making process difficult. Because we are leaving our agency, we will essentially be starting over. We are currently starting with deciding whether or not we will get a public or private home study license. Mind you, a private license would enable us to continue down the path of an agency adoption, and a public license would open us to safe haven, foster to adopt, or just foster parenting. Sounds simple, right? But it’s anything but simple. A home study is valid for a year, and after waiting for the amount of time we already have, a full year is another large commitment, and we want to make sure we take the step in a direction that we feel confident in.

These decisions are some of the most difficult decisions we have both ever made in our life, and I couldn’t be more proud that they are difficult decisions. If they weren’t hard, I don’t think I would really understand the gravity of the path we are embarking on. So, although at times I really wish I had that compass to point us to “true north” in our adoption, I’ve got a touch of wanderlust, and I’ll settle into trusting our inner direction.

Have you ever wished you had a compass for life? What do you do when you’re faced with an exciting, difficult, but incredibly important decision? Would love to hear your experiences, questions, and/or comments!

~Chelsea