Considering Adoption Agencies February 2011

I managed to pick myself up off the floor of my shattered dreams, fairly quickly. After all, I had already tried to make contact with 2 agencies. Surely, they would try and return my call or my enquiry form? Wouldn't they? One of them would?
Hmm. I left further messages with them both again and the 3rd Adoption agency I had details of, seemed to be a wrong number. I left it a few more days and then looked on line for this other agency. I left my number and to my complete surprise and by now disbelief, they called back!!!
A quick phone conversation and a date in the diary for someone to call round during the February school half term.  I was so excited!
The week seemed to fly by and soon it was half term.
I also managed, meanwhile, to play phone tig with the other 2 agencies but it wasn't looking hopeful to actually get to meet a social worker from them. One agency had sickness and the other no one got back to me for months!
The meeting with the Adoption Agency, Families That Last who help prosepective adopters find the right family, seemed positive. The social worker explained that Agencies find families for children who are deemed hard to place. What does that mean? I asked.
Hard to place children are children needing families nationally, where their local authority have been unable to find families for them.
The unwanted, the unloved, the discarded, I thought.
Children with special needs, those in larger sibling groups, older children, ethnicity, she said.
The upper age limit, currently, is a 45 year gap between adult and child she said.
Being single and adopting is possible as having a strong support network is what is needed.
The urban myths of being too old to adopt, you can't adopt if you are single, you can't adopt if you have a faith - such as Christian faith seemed to be dispelling their magical spell and their fierce grip they had had on me was loosening it's tight hold.
Some urban myths I had believed for a long time were exploding.
Freedom.
I could breathe again.
I really liked the sound of Families That Last. Afetr all, it is what I have always wanted. A Family That Lasts.
She left and said she would speak to her manager.
She phoned the next day.
It was a yes!
For this initial stage.
I would be invited to the next 4 days preparation group in April.
I wanted to dance around the room. I would have, except for the fact that I was holding on to the other end of the phone.
April was only 6 weeks away.
That didn't seem too long to wait.
I could do that.
I was on cloud 9.
Hope is rising...