After four years as administrator of the Women’s Life Center in Troy, Lois Finlay is retiring to have more time to spend with her family.

“And, my husband is going to be real happy to have me at home,” Finlay said, with a smile. “All of us here at the Women’s Family Center are like family and I’m going to miss everyone but I’ll be around. This center is a part of me.”

A reception will be held in Finlay’s honor from 2 until 4 p.m. Sunday at the Women’s Life Center on South Three Notch Street in Troy. Everyone is invited to attend and celebrate her time at the center.

Finlay came to the center on God’s third call.

“When we moved back to Troy from Montgomery, my plan was to work with older people,” Finlay said. “I had retired as chief financial officer of the Autauga County School System and was looking forward to the possibility of working with the elderly. But God had another plan for me.”

Finlay first heard about the opening for the administrator’s position at the Women’s Family Life Center in her Sunday school class. The next time was from the pulpit of her church.

“Then, a friend mentioned the opening to me and that’s when I said, ‘OK, God, I’ll listen.”

For Finlay, the administrator’s position was a leap of faith.

“It was a different kind of situation from anything I had done before,” she said. “I had a lot to learn, but I’m a mom and that was a good place to start. I also had two grandchildren that were unplanned and nieces that were adopted. And, I just knew that I was in the right place.”

Being the director of the Women’s Life Center was a challenge but the biggest challenge was getting people to understand the need.

“Often, if something doesn’t affect you, it’s hard to see it,” Finlay said. “Unless you walk in that door, it’s hard to understand the need for a center like this. Sometimes single moms are judged too quickly but there’s a story behind each and every one of them.”

Finlay said that God has a plan for each child.

“And, it’s important that these women know that when they are making decisions that affect lives,” she said. “We are seeing more women consider adoptions now than we did four years ago. And adoptions are different. There are open adoptions so the mother can have contact with the child. That makes in easier for young women to choose adoption over abortion.

“At the Women’s Life Center, it is our mission to save lives. We’re not always able to do that but we are encouraged by the lives that are saved. What has been extremely encouraging this year is that we have had 10 client weddings since January. That’s an indication that marriage is a viable option for some.”

Those couples who walk down the aisle, the women who chose adoption and those who choose to raise their babies are the rewards that Finlay has received.

“There have been many challenges but the rewards far, far exceed the challenges,” she said. “When a young mother came in with a big smile on her face and a baby in her arms, that’s when I knew that it’s all worthwhile.”