As of April 13....five days ago, to be exact...we reached the milestone of being logged-in China's adoption system for THREE YEARS! That's a lonnnnnng time but it is also a huuuuuuge step closer to our baby girl/s. When July arrives in a few months, we will celebrate four years since we first submitted our application and began this journey of adopting our sweetie/s in China. The wait timeframe when we were logged-in was about eighteen months. It is now around four years. Yes...the wait has been extended quite a bit. But, our journey has continued, as well. Now we are beginning to see the "light at the end of the tunnel" and we know that our baby girl/s are closer to joining our family than ever before. Thank you, God!
So...in celebration of this amazing milestone, we did something special this weekend. Although our daughter and son's high chair was retired many years ago, someone gave us a precious used "Jenny Lynn" style wooden high chair long before we ever began considering the adoption process. (Notice the name? Jenny....as in my Grandmother Jenny who we are naming our JennaBeth after?) :) The high chair was about to be thrown away yet it was in great shape...and I couldn't bear to see it go "for some reason." When we brought it home, Tim asked me what we should do with it and we decided to put it in storage..."just in case." Well...I'm glad we did. Who knew why we would ever need it? Obviously God knew all along.
A few days ago, I mentioned to Tim that the next time he was working in the storage building, it would be nice to pull the high chair out. Yesterday, I looked up to see our 18 year old son carrying the high chair into our house. I also need to mention that he had an incredible smile on his face as he carried it inside!
The high chair has now been cleaned up and sits in our great room as a reminder of the little sweetheart/s God is working to bring home to us hopefully sometime next year. Each time I see it, I say a prayer for our JennaBeth/EmmaKate. It's been such a long journey but it's becoming more real each day that the time will truly come...when we bring her/them home.
I might also add that the chair is draped with a crocheted baby afghan from our first two babies' years. A precious little pair of baby Croc shoes are sitting on top of the afghan which our little sweetie/s' special Kentucky Ommie & Papa Ralph already gave her. The afghan represents the loving arms of God that continually surround our baby girl/s....and the baby Croc shoes represent each step of the journey that brings us closer to being together. What an amazing journey!
I know that before JennaBeth/EmmaKate arrive home, I will need to refinish the crib, chest of drawers and high chair. We have decided to go with a dark cherry finish instead of the lighter finish they presently have. Maybe that's one of my many projects to tackle next fall when our Rachel and Micah are BOTH in college. :') But for now, we celebrate three years of log-in, almost four years of the official journey...and a high chair sitting in our home.
Hold on, Baby Girl/s! Your high chair is waiting. (And we can always buy another one if we do receive twins!) Your blanket reminds us of God's love and protection and your shoes remind us of this journey's many wonderful steps toward you. My heart is overflowing with love, anticipation and gratitude for all the blessings along the way in bringing you home. For now, rest...in His arms, in our hearts...and in the joy of knowing that you are loved...forever. We are now YEARS closer to seeing you and holding you in our arms. Until that moment, we are loving you and holding you in our thoughts and hearts...constantly.
May God bless each friend, family member, minister, doctor, nurse, agency worker, government official, attorney, orphanage worker...and prayer-giver who walks along this journey of blessings with us. We thank God for you all!
Cherishing the beauty of each blessing....
Terri & family
Jenna Elizabeth (aka "JennaBeth") Song Lorenz
Waiting For Our Little One To Come Home From China!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Away...Yet Together!
What an incredible Easter weekend! It's one we will long remember! And we are so thankful for every reminder of love, hope, joy and New Beginnings.
This past Easter weekend could have been a very sad and lonely one. But it turned out anything but that! You see, this weekend was the first Easter we spent without our children since we became parents almost twenty-two years ago. It was different but the blessings along the way were amazing.
Our daughter, Rachel, spent the weekend at the University, as well as visited the congregation where her boyfriend serves as youth minister. She also left for Columbus, OH yesterday on a nursing clinical trip. Our son, Micah, worked Saturday and left yesterday morning at 6:30 am for New York City on his Senior Class trip. So that left Tim and me home...alone...but not.
We decided to spend those moments with one another as well as with dear friends and had an incredible time together. Although we love our children dearly and missed being together as a family, we realized something very important.
Yes, our daughter was at school and is now in Ohio. Our son is now in New York City. Our baby daughter/s are in China. Tim is now at work. And I am home with lots of work to be done. Yet...while we are all away from one another, we are very much together! While we are spread out among different states and even different countries, our love for one another knows no boundaries. Different locations have no influence on our family unit and our hearts remain very much together...always!
Of course, we look forward to the day when we are all together again. Yet we are so thrilled that even when life requires us being in different places at the same time, we still have a bond that never ends. (We also thank God for cell phones with texting!) :)
We certainly realize that our love and relationships with others rest in this same truth. We have loved ones all over the USA as well as in England, Australia and China. How awesome if we could be together more often. But what a joy it is to know that our love reaches all over the corners of this earth each moment. (Plus we still have email, Facebook, etc.) :) So...if we didn't get to see you over Easter weekend, please know that our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with you. If we didn't get to worship together, please know that we are all praising the same God no matter where we live. And if we aren't able to see one another often, that doesn't change the love we have for each of you.
Our precious JennaBeth/EmmaKate...I missed you greatly this weekend. I imagined how I would have dressed you for Easter Sunday. I imagined how the little Easter baskets would have been waiting for you Easter morning. I thought about the little pink bows I would have placed in your hair...and the pictures I would have taken of you before you walked into Church. I imagined what it would have been like to see you hunt for Easter eggs...and how fun it would have been to help clean the melted chocolate from your hands and face. But most of all, I thanked God for you, our baby girl/s in China on this Easter morning...and for the New Beginning we have with you in the near future. The time is coming soon when we will share life in a wonderful new way when you come home with us. But until that time, please know that you are loved, cherished, remembered, embraced and in our prayers each moment. Although you are presently in the PRC and we are in the USA, we are together...already...always. Rest, my sweet daughters. Rest for your Daddy and Mommy will travel to China and hold you, hug you, thank God for you and cherish our beginning as a Forever Family in every way. Until then, remember we may be away...but we remain very much together! I love you, sweetie/s. Until I hold you in my arms, I'm holding you...so very closely...in my heart. I love you, my dear little daughter/s.
Cherishing all those we love away...yet so close together,
Terri & family
This past Easter weekend could have been a very sad and lonely one. But it turned out anything but that! You see, this weekend was the first Easter we spent without our children since we became parents almost twenty-two years ago. It was different but the blessings along the way were amazing.
Our daughter, Rachel, spent the weekend at the University, as well as visited the congregation where her boyfriend serves as youth minister. She also left for Columbus, OH yesterday on a nursing clinical trip. Our son, Micah, worked Saturday and left yesterday morning at 6:30 am for New York City on his Senior Class trip. So that left Tim and me home...alone...but not.
We decided to spend those moments with one another as well as with dear friends and had an incredible time together. Although we love our children dearly and missed being together as a family, we realized something very important.
Yes, our daughter was at school and is now in Ohio. Our son is now in New York City. Our baby daughter/s are in China. Tim is now at work. And I am home with lots of work to be done. Yet...while we are all away from one another, we are very much together! While we are spread out among different states and even different countries, our love for one another knows no boundaries. Different locations have no influence on our family unit and our hearts remain very much together...always!
Of course, we look forward to the day when we are all together again. Yet we are so thrilled that even when life requires us being in different places at the same time, we still have a bond that never ends. (We also thank God for cell phones with texting!) :)
We certainly realize that our love and relationships with others rest in this same truth. We have loved ones all over the USA as well as in England, Australia and China. How awesome if we could be together more often. But what a joy it is to know that our love reaches all over the corners of this earth each moment. (Plus we still have email, Facebook, etc.) :) So...if we didn't get to see you over Easter weekend, please know that our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with you. If we didn't get to worship together, please know that we are all praising the same God no matter where we live. And if we aren't able to see one another often, that doesn't change the love we have for each of you.
Our precious JennaBeth/EmmaKate...I missed you greatly this weekend. I imagined how I would have dressed you for Easter Sunday. I imagined how the little Easter baskets would have been waiting for you Easter morning. I thought about the little pink bows I would have placed in your hair...and the pictures I would have taken of you before you walked into Church. I imagined what it would have been like to see you hunt for Easter eggs...and how fun it would have been to help clean the melted chocolate from your hands and face. But most of all, I thanked God for you, our baby girl/s in China on this Easter morning...and for the New Beginning we have with you in the near future. The time is coming soon when we will share life in a wonderful new way when you come home with us. But until that time, please know that you are loved, cherished, remembered, embraced and in our prayers each moment. Although you are presently in the PRC and we are in the USA, we are together...already...always. Rest, my sweet daughters. Rest for your Daddy and Mommy will travel to China and hold you, hug you, thank God for you and cherish our beginning as a Forever Family in every way. Until then, remember we may be away...but we remain very much together! I love you, sweetie/s. Until I hold you in my arms, I'm holding you...so very closely...in my heart. I love you, my dear little daughter/s.
Cherishing all those we love away...yet so close together,
Terri & family
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