The Return of the Sun

For the third day in a row, I woke up to sunshine! Nothing can cheer me up so well as a gorgeous, sunny day. We spent last evening at the Hartleys, enjoying a cookout and fireworks. We all had a great time.

Over the last few days I have been catching up on adoption blogs. For a while, they were just depressing me. All of the families I was reading about are finishing up their adoptions and bringing their kids home. Most of them started after us. I stopped reading for a while because it just made me feel worse. Thankfully, I have finally managed to stop feeling sorry for myself!:) I am once again truly happy for the families who are at the end of the waiting phase. It is such a blessing to watch these scared, often scrawny and sickly looking children transform into smiling, chunky, healthy family members. Seeing these former orphans playing with siblings or cuddled up in Daddy's lap is what it is all about.

I am so thankful that our Heavenly Father was willing to pay the price to make me His daughter. I didn't even believe He was there, but that didn't stop Him from making me His own, special daughter. I don't deserve His love and care, but no matter how badly I behave, I can't drive Him away. Isn't He amazing?

Adoption is such a wonderful way to learn about love, acceptance, and trust. Grafting Andreas into our family will be a whole new learning experience. It is somewhat scary to realize that the "end" of this process is really the beginning. Many families never see the "happily ever after". Come what may, we are in this for the long haul. Someday, this waiting phase will be a memory.