Finding my Tru Love

There are seasons in life when everything appears full.

The career is meaningful.

The service is visible.

Leadership doors continue to open.

Family surrounds you with heritage and strength.

From the outside, it can look like a woman has everything.

I was blessed to build a life in the community that raised me. My work in human resources leadership allowed me to serve across multiple sectors. My husband and I were honored to lead in ministry together. I built businesses, cultivated friendships, and stood in rooms I once prayed to enter.

Yet there remained a quiet desire that accomplishment could not replace.

I wanted to nurture a child in a way that expanded my everyday life.

God had already trusted me with remarkable relationships. Children called me by many names long before Tru ever arrived.

I was Te, Dani, Tee Dan, Mamma Ten, Godmother Danielle, Aunt Tenesha, & NanNan.

Chloe had been woven into my heart from the time she was seven years old, and the love we share is one of the great treasures of my life.

Even with those gifts, there was still a place in me that continued to ask God for something more. I believed wanting more did not diminish what I already had. It simply revealed another layer of purpose He was writing.

For years, even prior to marrying Tony, I prayed and tried. Two IVF journeys ended without the baby we hoped to hold. Two adoption situations came close and then slipped away. Those chapters were sacred and quiet.

Still, the longing remained.

There was a time when I truly believed a miracle might somehow appear at the door.

I always sensed my road to deeper motherhood would be unique. I just did not know how.

Going Public With Hope

In January of 2019, we stepped out on faith and invited others to pray with us. We made our desire known.

Messages poured in from everywhere. Some shared their own adoption stories. Some offered encouragement. Some began reconsidering the value of life itself.

What I thought was a search began to turn into ministry.

Women who were wrestling with impossible decisions found space to breathe. Conversations opened. Compassion widened.

Heaven was moving, even though I did not yet recognize the form of the answer.

Months passed. There were many connections, but no baby.

I kept reminding myself that obedience always produces fruit, even when you cannot see it growing.

A Different Kind of Yes

During that time, I spent many afternoons in a makeup chair preparing for events. My makeup artist and I would talk about faith, family, and the journey my husband and I were walking.

One day she told me she was expecting.

I celebrated her. I meant it.

Later she called and said she had something she wanted to give me.

Inside the box were words from her unborn son asking if I would be his godmother.

No legal exchange.

No transfer of ownership.

No removal from his parents.

An invitation to love him alongside them.

I felt honored. I felt trusted. I felt the presence of God in a way that quieted years of questions.

Something in my heart knew this assignment would be life changing.

The Day I Met Tru

After he was born, she invited me to the hospital. I planned for a short visit.

I held him for five hours.

Love settled into me with a familiarity that felt eternal.

In that moment I understood something important. God was not replacing the children already in my life. He was enlarging my capacity. The same heart that loved Chloe, that answered to Te, Dani, Godmother Danielle, Tee Dan, Aunt Tenesha, and NanNan, was stretching again.

Our families grew together. Trust deepened. Respect became the foundation. At three months old, he was christened surrounded by both homes, one extended circle of commitment and care.

What God Actually Gave Me

For years I asked for a child.

God gave me a son, yes.

He also gave me his parents, his sibling, and a new branch of family I did not know I needed.

He answered in relationship.

There is no document that could make me love Tru more than I do. There is also no miracle that could make me love the others any less.

Every name they call me still belongs.

Every bond still stands.

Every child is fully mine to cherish.

I am YaYa.

I am Te.

I am Tee Dan.

I am Dani.

I am Aunt Tenesha

I am Godmother Danielle.

I am Nan Nan

I am Mamma Ten.

I am Lolli.

I carry them all.

No Longer Longing

The years of waiting were not wasted. They trained my heart to recognize the answer when it arrived in an unexpected package.

I am not longing anymore.

I am living in fulfillment, surrounded by children who run toward me, families who trust me, and a God who knew that the best answer would multiply love instead of dividing it.

Tru is my Tru Love.

So are they all.