The journey to start or complete a family can be a long and disheartening road, filled with emotional turmoil, especially for those crippled by infertility. You can feel alone, overwhelmed, lost, and hopeless; not knowing if your dream of becoming a parent will ever become a reality.

Adoption is not for everyone, but for those who are able to open up their hearts, minds, and homes to this amazing opportunity may one day be in the incredible position that my husband and I find ourselves in every day.

The adoption process can be time-consuming and daunting; it can wreak emotional havoc and make you lay bare your entire being. For us, it was all worth it and we would have done it 100 times over to be as blessed as we are today.

We were lucky enough to have the most supportive and understanding social workers and support staff at Bedford Borough Council, to guide us through the sometimes murky waters of the adoption process. It took us about nine months from the very start to the very first day we met our miracles - ironically the same length of time as a pregnancy.

The end of our adoption journey led us straight to our beautiful children “Johnny” and “Grace”. A little brother and sister of mixed race descent, fitted seamlessly into mine and my husband’s mixed race marriage.

Skin colour and ethnicity would have made no difference, but to be blessed with two children of dual heritage, just like my husband, was more than we could have ever imagined. “Jonny” and “Grace’s” unique and colourful personalities and happy, loving hearts would have burst through whatever skin colour they possessed.

After everything is stripped back, Love is Love. I love my husband even though his skin is different than mine and I love my children just the same if they were black, white, yellow, or red. You cannot choose your outer shell, but you can choose to let your heart be open and your eyes be colour-blind. I did not give birth to my children and they may not look like me, but they are so deeply ingrained in my heart, body, and soul that I could never imagine my life without them.

Because we were open to the miracle of adoption, we now have our two perfect children who bring constant laughter, pride, and undeniable happiness into our lives every single day. I cannot emphasise enough how life-changing and rewarding adoption has been for us. It only took one simple (but frightening) phone call to initiate this wonderful journey and that phone call was the single most important thing I have ever done in my life.

If you are interested in finding out more on Adoption, please get in touch with the Adoption Team on 01234 718718 or email adoptionandfostering@bedford.gov.uk