It's a relaxed holiday weekend here and we've enjoyed our time together as a family. We even went to a movie today and we had not done that for a very long time! So it's been a great opportunity to rest and relax a little more than usual...and we cherish these moments greatly.
I don't have much news to tell re: our adoption journey presently. We have been informed that there are additional orphans in China now due to the tragic earthquake. No one knows how this will affect the adoption process for those of us already "logged in" but all we can do is continue to hope, pray, wait and trust that it will all work out in God's perfect timing. Of course, we continue to pray for everyone involved in China as they continue to recover and rebuild from the horrible earthquake.
The wait is hard...but we sincerely believe that it will be worth every moment. And when our little girl/s enters our arms, our family, our lives and our hearts forever, we will look back at this "patience building" process and know that it was time well-invested. Thank you for your continued prayers for our baby girl/s. It makes all the difference to know that we are not alone in this wait...or in our journey.
Meanwhile, Rachel has been home from college for two weeks now and is adjusting quite well. Micah has a few more days of school this week and then he'll be out for summer break. Tim is working hard. And I'm trying to keep everything going as smoothly as possible here at home. We have much to be grateful for and we truly cherish every moment we are together. Time does pass so quickly when we're together...yet so slowly as we wait for our baby girl/s. Funny how that works, isn't it? :)
Enjoy your holiday weekend and most of all, cherish each step of your journey in life. Each breath is a gift! We continue to cherish each of you as you walk beside us through our journey of blessings. May you each be blessed richly!
Cherishing our moments together,
Terri and family
Jenna Elizabeth (aka "JennaBeth") Song Lorenz
Waiting For Our Little One To Come Home From China!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Praying for China!
Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are certainly with the people in China following the recent tragic earthquake! To see the pictures of devastation, hear the statistics of lives lost and affected is nothing less than heartbreaking. We simply ask all of you to please pray for everyone in China as they try to recover and rebuild their lives.
Our adoption agency contacted us last week and shared that all of the adoptive families from our agency who are presently traveling in China are safe and we are very thankful for that. Yet we know that many, many lives have been affected in ways beyond comprehension. I wonder about all the precious babies in the orphanages...the caregivers...the people working so hard to help these babies find their Forever Families...and everyone in the country whose lives have been literally and figuratively shaken beyond our imagination.
Part of our journey of blessings is simply having the opportunity to pray for those situations that we have no control over in this life. This is one of those moments. We don't know how this will affect the adoption journey. We don't know how many people have lost lives, homes, jobs, etc. in China due to the earthquake. But we do know that we can pray for them and that they are not alone. I have already received word from ministries that are presently in China trying to assist during this very challenging time. What an example of kindness in a very confusing world. Even when things "don't make sense," there are people who immediately answer the call to help those in need.
So please pray for China during this time....and for those trying to assist in this time of great turmoil. In a world of pain, loss, instability and confusion, there are continuous examples of people who care and represent hope, kindness, love and unselfishness. May we all be a part of that goal! Please bless someone else's life today! It makes a difference.
Terri and family
Our adoption agency contacted us last week and shared that all of the adoptive families from our agency who are presently traveling in China are safe and we are very thankful for that. Yet we know that many, many lives have been affected in ways beyond comprehension. I wonder about all the precious babies in the orphanages...the caregivers...the people working so hard to help these babies find their Forever Families...and everyone in the country whose lives have been literally and figuratively shaken beyond our imagination.
Part of our journey of blessings is simply having the opportunity to pray for those situations that we have no control over in this life. This is one of those moments. We don't know how this will affect the adoption journey. We don't know how many people have lost lives, homes, jobs, etc. in China due to the earthquake. But we do know that we can pray for them and that they are not alone. I have already received word from ministries that are presently in China trying to assist during this very challenging time. What an example of kindness in a very confusing world. Even when things "don't make sense," there are people who immediately answer the call to help those in need.
So please pray for China during this time....and for those trying to assist in this time of great turmoil. In a world of pain, loss, instability and confusion, there are continuous examples of people who care and represent hope, kindness, love and unselfishness. May we all be a part of that goal! Please bless someone else's life today! It makes a difference.
Terri and family
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Together...Almost....
It's been a very busy week. Of course, it's always busy in our home. But this week was even more eventful. Last weekend was exciting. Rachel is in the university choir and their mini-tour included a concert in our town. So we attended that on Saturday night and it was incredible. On Sunday afternoon, our son's high school concert band held their spring concert and awards program so we attended that wonderful event.
This past Thursday, we headed to the university to pack up Rachel's belongings and we brought her home for the summer. That night also included an academic awards program for Micah at the high school and of course, we attended that as well. It's that time of year when schools are wrapping up their classes and presenting final programs, concerts, awards events, etc. and we are so proud of both of our children. They are already special to us...but to see how hard they have worked in their classes and music programs is wonderful.
So...for now...we're all together for the summer...almost! As Mother's Day arrives tomorrow, I am so very thankful for our Mothers, Grandmothers and all the women who are tremendous influences in the lives of people all over the world. Motherhood is an incredible honor and a life-long commitment...and there's no love like a Mom's love. Happy Mom's Day to our Ohio Mom, Virginia Mom...and all the Moms who have been a part of our family for generations.
I also remember another Mom who is touching our lives forever, as well. I know that her role as a Mom involves a sacrifice that most of us could not imagine. Obviously, our family is not quite all together just yet. For our little girl/s in China remain in our hearts but not yet in our arms. So I want to send our love, prayers and gratitude for the Birth Mom of our daughter/s in China. She will always be a part of our family and her sacrificial love will never be forgotten. I pray she will always know that her baby girl/s will be loved dearly...and they will be reminded of her very special place in our family...and in their lives. We ask you to please keep her in your prayers as well. Sharing her child with a family half-way around the world cannot be an easy decision, but one that involves so much love for her baby girl/s.
So...as we celebrate our family being together for the summer...we also remember our precious little one/s in China and we will continue to love, pray, wait and hope to see them soon. For now the wait from Log-In to Referral has risen to twenty-eight months and is expected to increase even more. But we continue to trust and remember that it will be worth the wait as God's perfect timing and master plan bring us together someday. Happy Mom's Day! May you enjoy being together with your loved ones whether in person...or in heart.
Cherishing this journey,
Terri and family
This past Thursday, we headed to the university to pack up Rachel's belongings and we brought her home for the summer. That night also included an academic awards program for Micah at the high school and of course, we attended that as well. It's that time of year when schools are wrapping up their classes and presenting final programs, concerts, awards events, etc. and we are so proud of both of our children. They are already special to us...but to see how hard they have worked in their classes and music programs is wonderful.
So...for now...we're all together for the summer...almost! As Mother's Day arrives tomorrow, I am so very thankful for our Mothers, Grandmothers and all the women who are tremendous influences in the lives of people all over the world. Motherhood is an incredible honor and a life-long commitment...and there's no love like a Mom's love. Happy Mom's Day to our Ohio Mom, Virginia Mom...and all the Moms who have been a part of our family for generations.
I also remember another Mom who is touching our lives forever, as well. I know that her role as a Mom involves a sacrifice that most of us could not imagine. Obviously, our family is not quite all together just yet. For our little girl/s in China remain in our hearts but not yet in our arms. So I want to send our love, prayers and gratitude for the Birth Mom of our daughter/s in China. She will always be a part of our family and her sacrificial love will never be forgotten. I pray she will always know that her baby girl/s will be loved dearly...and they will be reminded of her very special place in our family...and in their lives. We ask you to please keep her in your prayers as well. Sharing her child with a family half-way around the world cannot be an easy decision, but one that involves so much love for her baby girl/s.
So...as we celebrate our family being together for the summer...we also remember our precious little one/s in China and we will continue to love, pray, wait and hope to see them soon. For now the wait from Log-In to Referral has risen to twenty-eight months and is expected to increase even more. But we continue to trust and remember that it will be worth the wait as God's perfect timing and master plan bring us together someday. Happy Mom's Day! May you enjoy being together with your loved ones whether in person...or in heart.
Cherishing this journey,
Terri and family
Friday, May 2, 2008
The Derby...and Our Journey
It's an exciting weekend in Kentucky. The Kentucky Derby will take place tomorrow and it's a beautiful time of year in this area for so many reasons. The Bluegrass state comes alive as spring boldly announces its presence and the horse world makes its mark once again! Although I absolutely love my homestate of Virginia and miss it terribly, I certainly enjoy this time of year in Kentucky. As a horse-lover, I am always thrilled to drive by the many horse farms and watch these fascinating animals in their daily, majestic life. But when it's Derby time, they are celebrated so elaborately and it's quite impressive. You know you live in Kentucky when the news involves basketball and horses! Ahhh...spring is all around us and it's an amazing time of year!
As I watch those horses stride in their famous race, I am reminded how life is often like that. Sometimes we are galloping through with our focus completely on the goal. But the journey sometimes requires pacing ourselves to endure the race as well as celebrating the place we're in at the moment. But most importantly, we must do what is necessary to complete that journey in the right manner, the right timing and in celebration. Of course, life doesn't have to be a "race" although it often feels that way. But keeping ourselves focused and on-track is so important.
We recently contacted our social worker and our adoption agency advocate about updating our paperwork over the next month or two and what a blessing! We were expecting to endure a much more intense process and yet we were told that the regulations have been modified considerably! So there is work to be done...but it will not be as overwhelming as we had expected! Wow!!! Of course, the Homestudy has to be updated, (Yay....we get to see our most favorite social worker in the entire world!), and we have paperwork to complete, but it is going to be a much smoother ride than anticipated! Yay!!!! The journey does require patience, endurance and focus, for sure! But the blessings continue to amaze us along the way and we are so very grateful!!!!
Meanwhile, it's a wonderful weekend of concerts. Our daughter's university choir will be in our town this weekend! So we can hardly wait to attend that glorious event. And our son's band concert and award program will also take place this weekend so we are thrilled to attend that very exciting time with him! What a weekend...both of our children are presenting concerts and it's Derby time! There are indeed blessings along this journey and we must enjoy and cherish each one! Meanwhile, our goal remains so very close to our hearts as we continue to love and dream of the day we bring our precious little girl/s home. Thank you for your continued prayers for them and those who touch her life now...her birth mom, caregivers, etc..
We hope you have an incredible weekend, too. Remember that life is a gift and that there is much to cherish along the way. We are thankful for each of you and the blessing you are in our lives! Take care...and enjoy the journey.
Cherishing this moment,
Terri and family
As I watch those horses stride in their famous race, I am reminded how life is often like that. Sometimes we are galloping through with our focus completely on the goal. But the journey sometimes requires pacing ourselves to endure the race as well as celebrating the place we're in at the moment. But most importantly, we must do what is necessary to complete that journey in the right manner, the right timing and in celebration. Of course, life doesn't have to be a "race" although it often feels that way. But keeping ourselves focused and on-track is so important.
We recently contacted our social worker and our adoption agency advocate about updating our paperwork over the next month or two and what a blessing! We were expecting to endure a much more intense process and yet we were told that the regulations have been modified considerably! So there is work to be done...but it will not be as overwhelming as we had expected! Wow!!! Of course, the Homestudy has to be updated, (Yay....we get to see our most favorite social worker in the entire world!), and we have paperwork to complete, but it is going to be a much smoother ride than anticipated! Yay!!!! The journey does require patience, endurance and focus, for sure! But the blessings continue to amaze us along the way and we are so very grateful!!!!
Meanwhile, it's a wonderful weekend of concerts. Our daughter's university choir will be in our town this weekend! So we can hardly wait to attend that glorious event. And our son's band concert and award program will also take place this weekend so we are thrilled to attend that very exciting time with him! What a weekend...both of our children are presenting concerts and it's Derby time! There are indeed blessings along this journey and we must enjoy and cherish each one! Meanwhile, our goal remains so very close to our hearts as we continue to love and dream of the day we bring our precious little girl/s home. Thank you for your continued prayers for them and those who touch her life now...her birth mom, caregivers, etc..
We hope you have an incredible weekend, too. Remember that life is a gift and that there is much to cherish along the way. We are thankful for each of you and the blessing you are in our lives! Take care...and enjoy the journey.
Cherishing this moment,
Terri and family
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