The Promise of Spring

As I glanced out the kitchen window today, I noticed that our Bradford Pear trees in the front yard are showing the promise of spring! Those little tiny buds are forming in determination for future blooms which will progress into full coverage on each limb. Then I realized the yard is transforming from multiple shades of taupe and brown into various hues of green. Yes....spring is almost here! My favorite season is upon us and it is a wonderful sign of new life, new adventures and more opportunities to enjoy the beauty of our surroundings. I can hardly wait to plant new flowers in the baskets on the lawn or in flower boxes on the deck. My citrus trees and ferns are quite anxious to return outside and as much as I'd love to move them, I know we must wait until the time is "just right" for their protection and progress.

As I considered all the promises of spring, I couldn't help but think about our journey to our precious little girl/s. The excitement builds and we continue to walk toward our little Sweetie Pie/s. Although the wait is long and it often seems that we only face mountains of paperwork and projects during this process, we must remember that when winter seems silent and unprogressive, the promise of spring continues and there is indeed progress, even when we cannot see it. As the timing must be "just right" for the trees to bud, the grass to turn green and plants to grow, we must trust that God's timing will direct this journey to our little daughter/s in China. So we continue to count our blessings, enjoy the journey and trust that the promise of spring will remind us of even more joys to come! As we've been told so often, God's timing is always right...and when we hold our baby in our arms, it will all make sense. So we wait. We pray. We trust. We work. We grow. And we enjoy the blessings of each season along the way!

Our thanks to all of you who so faithfully pray, love and encourage us along this journey. When you share your hearts, prayers and hopes about our sweetie/s, it warms our hearts and increases our excitement! For spring will come...and our little one/s will be placed in our arms, and our joy will always include the kindness shown to us along the way by each life involved.

Our daughter is now home from college for spring break. Our son is outside shooting basketball. My precious husband is determined to complete projects around the house. My mind is racing with new ideas for spring cleaning and transforming our home into a season of celebration and excitement. How wonderful that Easter is only one week away. It is truly a journey of blessings for which we are very grateful. Have a wonderful spring, everyone. And Happy Easter, too!

Cherishing this season,
Tim, Terri, Rachel and Micah