Quick update and a Mother's Realization ....

Isn't it interesting how we are all created different and unique. I don't know about you, but I'm a "thinker" ... always have been, always will be. If I'm "doing something" ... I'm thinking while I do it .... If I'm "being still" ... I'm thinking while I do it ... If I'm "stressed", I'm thinking while in that state ... if I'm "relaxed", yep .... still thinking! So, as often is the case when I curl up next to my main man each night and hear him quickly drift into snoreland .... I recap the day, think of a few things going on the next day, check my heart to see where I've gotten of course, reflect on all the ways God is working in our lives and taking care of us .... not without fail, somewhere in there every night these last months my heart and mind drifts to Ethiopia.

Lately I've had a growing concern that when our child sees us for the first time, they may be afraid. Unlike with Naomi, I was there while she was still hooked to a breathing machine and could hardly "see" anyone! She came home as a newborn to her light-skinned siblings. Trust me, in North Dakota in the middle of winter, everyone is at their lightest! :) But this next babe .... they will have been surrounded by dark-skinned caregivers all the days of their little life. As I thought of each of our children and how deeply I love them .... something occurred to me that I hadn't thought of until this time. I know ... with all this "thinking" I do ... I surely should have thought of this before, right?! My mind drifted past the part of us meeting our wee-one for the time and onto life all together as a family. Then it hit me ... what will it be like when this new babe sees Naomi?!!! A sense of peace just washed over me ... and I thanked the Lord once again for each piece of this puzzle that He is putting together, so to speak. We've often thought about how another child similar in ethnicity to Naomi could be a blessing to her down the road ... but I hadn't spend a lot of time thinking of it in reverse! So now I wait with great expectation to see just what it's like when these two precious children meet for the first time.

The picture posted here is a special one to me. It was just a simple shot taken two summers ago while living in Lisbon. To me it depicts a special bond between brother and sister ... a bond that is greater than division of any color this world has accomplished to create ... a bond that goes deeper than genetics ... and a bond that can be for eternity, unlike any worldly good we can obtain.

Now for the quick update!: We got our letter stating the appt for our CIS fingerprinting. Gotta love how others schedule your appts for you! .. 8:00 a.m. in downtown Fargo (1 hr. away) which falls on a day right AFTER we have to be in Fargo for another appt. I guess they don't take gas prices or people's schedules into consideration. Ha. We also got two of our certified bank letters in the mail today. Funny how you can be "in good standing" with a bank with such little money. But as we all know, it's not how much money you have, it's how you are a steward with it that matters. I know many question why on earth we are adopting when we do not have a overly-substantial income ... I'll step up on that soapbox on another post ... but for now I have a stamp room to clean so we can keep on the assembly line for the Stamp a Child Home Project. Will be giving you and update on that soon as well!

Back to cleaning!