My birth mom named me Angel. She was barely 17 years old when she had me. Suffice it to say, this was a crisis pregnancy. She had run away from home and hitchhiked out to Texas, got pregnant, and called home for help.
I never asked her why she chose to give birth to me, but I’m so glad she did. But, it didn’t take long for her to realize she couldn’t raise me. The man she married while pregnant with me, wanted her to give me away. She really wanted my grandparents to take me in, but they weren’t at a place in life they thought they could do that.
She Thought About Putting Me Up For Adoption
Her parents were very good friends with the Beasleys. The Beasleys had four boys and decidedly done with having children…or so they thought.
One day, Mrs. Beasley and her youngest son were over to my grandparent’s house. My birth mother was there and had me sitting in a stroller. Mrs. Beasley’s son went over to me to play. My birth mother scolded him and told him not to play with me, because I was not a good baby. Immediately he said, “We’ll take her. Won’t we mom?”. Mrs. Beasley nonchalantly said, “Sure, if we had papers.”
That chance conversation changed the course of my entire life.
A few days later, my grandmother called her friend, Mrs. Beasley, to ask her if she was serious about taking me. My grandmother shared that my birth mother had decided she was ready to find a home for me. Mrs. Beasley told her that she hadn’t been serious, but would talk with Mr. Beasley about it.
Daddy, Can I Have An Angel?
That night, at dinner, Mrs. Beasley asked Mr. Beasley if he wanted another baby. After a bit of explanation of which baby she was talking about, he told her no, because they were done having babies. Mrs. Beasley’s youngest son then asked, “Dad, can I have an angel?”. Mr. Beasley says, “Of course, son.”. Mrs. Beasley responded, “You don’t want to promise him that. That’s the name of the baby.”….and so the adoption process began.
Shortly after that, I went to live with my new family. They received temporary custody of me, with the intention of adopting me.
God Revealed a Part of His Plan
My mom tells me this story of how she had a dream about me, before she knew I existed. God has spoken to my mom through dreams several times over the years. In this particular dream, my mom remembers walking into the living room and seeing my dad holding a tiny baby girl on his shoulders.
After I came to live with them, she said one Sunday morning, she walked into the living room and saw my dad holding me. It was the exact scene she saw in her dream. At that moment, she knew without a doubt that God had chosen me for them before I was born.
The Difficulty of Adopting a Child
Bringing me into their home was not an easy task. My body was riddled with addictions, because my birth mother continued her use of alcohol and drugs while she was pregnant and afterward, even though she was nursing me.
Between the withdrawals and the abuse I had suffered, I was inconsolable at times. My parents had no choice but to leave me in my bed and walk away while I screamed for hours. It was a very difficult time for my family, but they persevered through it.
Finalizing the Adoption Process
Since my parents had been given custody of me, I was more of a foster care situation in the eyes of the court. My parents were ready to adopt me, but had to fight it out in court with my natural mother. Every month, my parents would show up in court, only to have the judge tell my natural mother that she had another 30 days to get her life straight. She never did…
Finally, when I was two years old, the adoption was finalized. At that point, my parents changed my name to Keelie Marie Beasley. While they never called me Angel, they knew that God used my name to bring me to them.
I Had an Open Adoption
This was completely unheard of 35+ years ago, but I had an open adoption. It was customary that adopted kids were not even told they were adopted until later in life, if ever. Even more rare than that was an adopted kid that was raised to know their blood-related family.
I’m forever grateful that my natural mom gave me up for adoption and that the people who adopted me allowed me access to my natural family. Everyone that played a role in my life ultimately did what was best for me.