Since childhood, Tierra has dreamed of having kids and embracing motherhood. When she was only five, she lost her mother, so she never knew how being loved by a mother felt. The only memories she could remember from her childhood made her perception of how amazing motherhood was.
When she was 18, she met a man so kind and selfless that she knew he was the one. Eventually, both of them got married. They had a similar dream: to build a family. They wanted kids, so they have been trying to conceive actively since 2009.
From tracking her cycles to keeping a check on her ovulation periods to leading a healthy lifestyle, she put in all her efforts. Test after test every month, but the couple was disappointed every time.
Life surely doesn’t give you what you want with all your heart; God always has a different plan!
After years of repeatedly doing the same things and constantly worrying, the couple decided they wanted a break from all this, so they settled in Arizona to live a peaceful life free of worries.
In 2015, when the couple returned, they knew they had to fulfill what they had desired so badly for now. This time, three failed rounds of intrauterine insemination were done, but no results came. So many years had passed, and the couple started losing hope.
But what destiny would bring them was what they never thought of. One of the couple’s mutual friends, a foster parent, contacted them multiple times. Tierra brushed off the idea because she was unsure if she wanted to foster a baby, but this time, the message had a massive impact on her. The emotional risk and the considerable risk did not affect her anymore.
Her friend told her the kids were sleeping in hotel rooms and needed a good foster home. The couple could save and improve the lives of innocent souls!
After a detailed conversation, Tierra was all prepared and decided to talk to Patrick about it. This time, it was not just her but the couple who met the friend, and in just a few moments, they agreed!
The training started in January, and within 6 months, they were licensed foster parents. The couple was excited to be parents finally! The time came within 1 month after they got the license.
A 15-month-old white girl needed a home as the foster mom was going back to school, but race did not matter to the couple. All they saw was that she needed a home! And it was going to be their home.
They met the terrified baby, but that night, Tierra stayed up comforting and holding her to make her feel safe. Tierra broke down, saying, ‘What did we just do?’ She was exhausted and scared at the same time, knowing the baby was now their responsibility.
But then the little girl uttered two magical words: “Mommy and Daddy.” Felicity called them with what they had yearned to hear for so many years.
Soon, they formed a strong bond. Tierra was there with the baby girl throughout the reunification process with her birth mother, and she admired every little thing about the baby. In a year, Felicity’s biological mom made a surprising decision to relinquish her parental rights. Now what?
Tierra was grateful to her because she loved Felicity so much!
Nine months after Felicity became a permanent part of Tierra’s home, she received another call. This time, it was just a prematurely born, 5-day-old baby who needed a home. When she received the call, the baby was in the NICU, and the doctors did not know if he would survive, but without taking an extra second, Tierra said yes.
They started taking care of the baby every day and experienced many terrifying events together, e.g., once when the baby stopped breathing, Patrick’s CPR training saved his life. Samuel, too, became the love of their lives! After thirty-two days in the NICU, the baby was ready to fight and thrive. A warrior became a part of their family, and they couldn’t be happier.
Samuel’s birth mother contacted them in a few days and broke the news that she was pregnant again, so Juddah, too, became a part of the family, although his paperwork took some time. They were a family of 5 now. A transracial family of 5 who lived in a white community!
They faced stares and were mocked behind their backs, but were not hated. The family exemplifies how you can’t see anything else in front of love. The things that broke their hearts—almost everything—became the biggest blessings of their lives by saying yes to what wasn’t theirs. This is love!
