Unselfish Love: An Adoption Memoir

She was beautiful. Her face was so smooth and perfect in every way. Every time I ran my finger over her cheek, I smiled as her lips twitched into a small smile. Her blue eyes seemed to hypnotize me. We could look into each other's eyes for hours. She weighed slightly more than five pounds, and she fit into my arms as if she were the final puzzle piece. She made me feel complete. As much as I wanted her to, she wouldn't come home with me. A different family would take her home. She would call them Mom and Dad. My heart broke to know that she wouldn't call me Mom. I'd miss her first steps, her first words, her first day of school. I'd miss it all because she would have a better life. I was selfish because I wanted to keep her. Unselfishly, I did what was best for her. There's no way I could provide for a child when I was just a child myself.