really real

One of the things that excites me about becoming an adoptive family is the connections we will make with other families like us. So far this has mostly happened through the blogging community - many of the other families who have adopted from Ethiopia through YWAM have journaled their experiences online, giving us the opportunity to follow their stories through the process.

This morning I read an update from a couple that just accepted a referral - a beautiful 2 1/2 year old boy and a sweet 4 month old girl will be home with them in a few months! I was filled with joy and excitement for this couple, and wrote this response to their news:

Praise God! We rejoice for these 4 lives, held by the hand of our loving God from before birth, each taken on their own journeys that began apart but will begin again together. May God bless all of you from now until you see one another's faces, and on through the years for generations to come.

When we started following this couple's story they were just a few weeks ahead of where we are today. The fact that they now have pictures in their wallets of the little boy and baby girl who will soon be their children... it is overwhelming and almost surprising in a way. There is a bratty little part of me that has been whispering, "You're not really adopting. You're just filling out a bunch of paperwork and paying a bunch of money, but nothing will actually come of it." Watching families do the same things we're doing and then be rewarded with the smiling faces of their babies... its like spinning on my heel to face that little bratty nay-sayer, putting my hands on my hips, and saying "See? So there. Now go away, nobody likes you!"

Despite the doubts of my inner brat, this is real. Before we know it, the words of joy and congratulations I wrote to R & J will be spoken to us. It's going to happen. We really are adopting!