And it's off! All our i's are dotted and t's are crossed and the big bulk of paperwork we've been working on since December, our Dossier...is on a plane to Beijing as I type this. Our agency also graciously enters it electronically, so that should help the CCCWA (China's child welfare agency) go even more swiftly.
It's such a classic statement, but I'll say it anyway. If you would have told me two years ago today, as we were walking off of a plane in the Shanghai airport that we would be submitting our Dossier for a daughter two years from that exact day...I might not have believed you! And if I did, I would have probably been more than a bit overwhelmed! These kinds of hind sights make me so thankful the future unfolds for us and we don't know all the details too far in advance.
As a planner and one who loves to have clear vision and direction, I am realizing that not knowing the future is really is a mercy from God. Only the Savior of the Universe has the capacity to carry the future. And he offers that gift of a lighter load to us. He lifts it from our shoulders, so that we don't have to carry it. I am in the process of humbly learning to accept this gracious act of chivalry.
He has equipped us, by His grace, to carry the present. No more. No less.
So, in two days, we celebrate two years of knowing our Ben. That is our present. We don't want to rush past that milestone. We are seeing Jude grow into a responsible and attentive brother, son and friend. We are thankful for TJ and his exuberance and delight in the world around him. We are increasingly aware of Annie's nurturing presence and emerging humor. We are beyond grateful for a marriage where Kevin and I continue to enjoy each other's company and love doing life together. We are blessed with a job for Kevin that provides for our family. We are wrapping up formal school and seeing summer on the horizon. We hope to soak up opportunities to grow, play, learn, serve and thrive over the next few months. We are surely on a good trajectory to pick up our newest daughter sometime this fall, and we are working hard to embrace the good in our present.
We will now wait for about 6-8 weeks for a very special document to come from China. Once we receive that, we sign it right away, stating in a very official way that we are accepting China's offer to place JiaYun in our family.
After that document comes, the pace starts to pick up and plans will start falling into place for more understanding on when we'll travel.
Until then, we take a deep breath, pray for our sweet girl in China and keep loving those within our reach. Thanks again for following our journey.
