Chosen & Loved

adoption. family. faith.

  • Letter to the Daughter We Finally Found

    March 19, 2025

    Solemnity of St. Joseph

    Dearest Lorie,

    Today, we officially accepted you to be part of our lives permanently.

    I cried a lot – from the moment we received that fateful call from Alliah yesterday, through this morning as I listened to your profile presentation, watched your videos, and read your case study report.

    I have so many overwhelming emotions, but they are mostly joy and gratitude. You are worth every tear, every prayer, every waiting day. I can’t wait to bring you home!

    I have loved you since the first letter I wrote to you almost two years ago. But now, this love has taken shape and flesh. And somehow, I have loved you even more.

    You have changed our lives in ways we couldn’t have imagined. And I pray that, with God’s grace and provision, we will be the best parents we can be for you.

    Love,

    Mommy

    On the feast of St. Joseph, we heard Holy Mass and wrote the official letter accepting you as our daughter.

  • Letter to the Daughter We Are Waiting For

    June 8, 2024

    Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

    Dearest Lorie,

    Last year, on this same feast day, I wrote you a letter and dedicated you to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

    You know Mama is big on dates, and especially feast days. Since we had today a home visit from Ate Alliah, our social worker, I felt even more the intercession of the Blessed Mother in our adoption journey.

    You are named after Our Lady – Mater Dolorosa. May you be strong of heart and courageous like her, my child. There is something great in store for you. And know that we are praying for you even at this moment, wherever you are.

    I am excited to embrace you, my darling. For now, bask in the embrace of Mama Mary and Jesus.

    I love you!

    Mama

    with our social worker, Alliah | Mandaluyong, June 2024

    *By the time I wrote this letter, we had already attended an adoption forum and had named our future daughter Dolores. We gave her the nickname Lorie, as we fondly call her now.

  • Letter to the Future Child of My Heart

    June 17, 2023

    Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

    My daughter,

    Wherever you are, whoever you are – know that I have prayed for you, my darling. Mama loves you even now.

    You are entrusted to us by God. You are a precious gift, a testament to His love for the world. Because He loves all His children, He desires that each one be loved and brought back to Him.

    You are from Mama’s heart, my child. A heart that has been pierced and has pondered; a heart cleansed by God’s own blood and purified by His mercy, trying so hard to model itself after Our Lady.

    My child, my love, my darling, we will give you as much love as we can. But you may still find yourself to be a sign of contradiction. Know that you, too, are set apart for a mission. More than being mine, you are God’s.

    I love you, my child.

    Mama

    Our Lady at the foot of the cross | Cathedral of St. Dionysius | Athens, May 2023

    *I wrote this letter before we even attended an adoption forum – before we knew anything about the child who would one day be ours. Yet, in the deepest recesses of my heart, I already knew that we were being called to parenthood in an unusual way.

    As I reflected on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my eyes turned to Mary, who, with her yes at the foot of the Cross, received a new mission: to become our mother. I was reminded that motherhood is not limited to bearing children of our own; it also extends to those entrusted to our care.