Missing Her...Missing Them

This post is a little harder to write but there's a very dear reason I want to share a few thoughts today. It is always my intention to write from a positive perspective because we truly believe that life is a journey of blessings. Yet as we all know, life is indeed blessed but sometimes not easy. Today is one of those days...but the blessings involved far outweigh the challenges.

Seven years ago today, my precious Grandmother left this earth for her eternal home. It has not been easy missing her during these years. From my earliest memories, "Grandma Jenny" was a very important part of my life. She never owned a car. She never had a computer. She lived a modest and quiet life. She resided in a small town in the mountains of Virginia. She never went to college. She never held public office. But she is one of the most influential people I have ever known and only on the other side of heaven will we know how many lives she touched in her ninety-one years!

Grandma had a heart that knew no boundaries. She loved everyone she could and tried to treat everyone fairly and respectfully...even those who mistreated her. She had a way of making each individual feel loved, valued, cherished and important. She had a contagious laugh and it was easy to forget that she was decades older than her grandchildren. She was so "young at heart" that she brought life, joy, laughter and enthusiasm to everyone around her. Her memory was amazing. She could describe someone's words, clothes, actions and appearance decades later. She could repeat a conversation verbatum...from many years ago. She would tell me how to cook something without ever looking in a cookbook while I busily wrote down the instructions so I wouldn't forget her words five minutes later! :) (And oh, how she could cook!) Grandma knew what was important. She lived a life of unconditional love, fairness, forgiveness, encouragement, faith, kindness, peace, patience, commitment, family, courage and confidentiality. She never forgot a birthday, anniversary or the birth of her grandchildren...or even the weather that accompanied an eventful day! She told me about living through the Great Depression, hearing about the Titanic as a young child, working hard to provide for her children and assisting a doctor who made house calls to deliver babies! She sang. She played piano. She saw so much in her lifetime. She learned much. She loved much. She taught much. She is missed very much.

I miss visiting her on my lunch hours when I worked at the bank in her town. I miss talking to her on the phone as a child, student...and wife. I miss our slumber parties! I miss the letters we wrote while I was in college! I miss seeing her at Christmas time and wishing her a Happy Birthday in February. I miss the secrets we shared, the laughter we enjoyed, the dreams we had and those late night chats. But she will always have a special place in my heart...and in our family. For when our baby girl is placed into our arms, she will be named "Jenna Elizabeth" and called "JennaBeth"...and one of Grandma Jenny's dreams will finally come true. A short time before she passed away, Grandma commented that of all the grandchildren she had, she had always hoped that one would have her name. I promised her that if another baby girl ever joined our family, she would indeed bear Grandma's name. Little did I realize how soon Grandma would leave this world...and little did we realize that our journey to our baby girl/s would take us halfway around the world years later.

We miss you, Grandma Jenny. We love you so much. Someday we will hold our new baby girl and whisper for the very first time to our Jenna Elizabeth that she is loved dearly and is named after you!! Whenever we speak or hear JennaBeth's name already, I immediately think of your precious life. Oh, how we miss you! Oh, how we miss our baby girl/s! Oh how we long for the day when we will all be together. I can hardly wait for you to meet your namesake, Grandma!

Until then, our hearts ache for our precious Grandma Jenny, (and all our dear Grandparents.) And our hearts ache for our sweet little baby girl/s. But what a joy it is to have known those who came before us in this journey, to enjoy those who walk beside us now and to look forward to those we will soon welcome into our family. Life is indeed a journey of blessings past, present and future. We love, we miss, we cherish and we hope. We are indeed grateful...and blessed.
Cherishing each loved one in our journey,
Terri & Family

Nineteen Months...and Still Moving Forward!

It was nineteen months ago today since we were "Logged In" China's system...and it seems like a very long time. But I am convinced that it is very worth the wait! Of course it would be incredibly wonderful if we could have our little darling/s here with us as the Holidays approach. But we know that isn't going to happen this year...and probably not next year, either. Yet each moment...each day...each week...each month...and each step brings us closer to our sweet baby girl/s. Even when it seems we're sitting still and simply waiting, we are reminded that we are still moving forward!!

Yesterday was a little more challenging for me for some reason. I guess seeing the temperatures fall along with the leaves...and already feeling the pressure of the holiday preparations upon us, I was beginning to get that overwhelmed feeling. Even more so, I just longed to see a picture or even better, HOLD our little girl/s, and see progress "in action." Well, the temperatures still fell along with the leaves. There was no miraculous timing of a referral letter...and we didn't see any pictures of our baby girl/s. But...we were blessed in a surprising way.

While in college, I met a sweet, sweet gal named Yolanda. We sang in concert choir together and shared lots of laughs and life. Who knew that someday she would be blessed with several children, including a precious daughter from China! And who knew that we would be blessed with our children...and while one is in college and the other in high school...we would be waiting for one, (or two, if twins are available), sweet daughter/s from China? Yolanda has been enjoying her sweet baby girl for a while now and "out of the clear blue" she decided to email some pictures to me...yesterday!!! While I "oooohed and ahhhhed" over the pictures, I couldn't help but acknowledge that we were blessed so abundantly again!!! Thank you sooooo much, Yolanda! You touched my heart, my family...and our "Journey of Blessings" in perfect timing. Yolanda also commented "He will bless you, too--in His perfect time." Wow!!!! Perfect words and perfect reminders at the perfect time! How can I ever doubt that God's plan, provision, guidance and timing will be just as incredible in bringing our sweet daughter/s home, as well? Absolutely...positively...we are still moving forward!!!

Thank you for all the prayers, reminders, encouragement and love so many of you share with us along this journey. Thank you for the wonderful ways you touch our lives...as we wait...yet move forward...toward our baby girl/s. Thank you for mentioning our little girls to us. That helps more than you may realize. Thank you for continuing to hope, love, pray and walk beside us every moment. Thank you for "somehow" knowing just when to say the right words when we are missing our sweet little daughter/s so much. And thank you to my precious husband, daughter and son for keeping little "JennaBeth" (and "EmmaKate"?) close in our hearts and home as we wait. It's so neat when we see little Asian girls on tv and we all say "ahhhhhhhh" in unison with tears in our eyes!!! What a joy that is as we wait for our little sweetie/s to join our "forever family!"

The holidays are almost here...and I miss our sweetie/s so much. Nineteen months have now officially passed since "Log In"...and twenty-eight months have passed since we first began this journey! We are definitely still moving forward...and we're closer than ever before! We're never alone. Neither are you. Let's keep moving forward...together!
Cherishing the journey...past, present and future,
Terri and Family

In the middle of life...

Life has been busy for our family, as usual. But in the middle of it all...we are blessed, grateful, and enjoying each moment in this journey. Our home sometimes seems like "Grand Central Station" but we wouldn't want to miss one moment of this amazing time in our lives.

This weekend was no exception. Our son left Friday morning on a high school band trip. Our daughter came home from college Friday evening. On Saturday morning, Tim and I left for Louisville to attend the band competition while our daughter went to work at the pharmacy. Saturday evening, Tim and I arrived home just before our daughter returned home from work. Meanwhile, our son remained in Louisville with the band. Yesterday began with more trips and errands. During the afternoon, our son arrived back in town with the band. I spent time in the kitchen preparing food for our family and neighbors who are ill....while Tim ran to the store to pick up a few things. We finally had a few hours together as a family...and then our daughter left to return to the university. It was a busy time but we cherished every opportunity we had to be together. It's not always this hectic...but in the middle of the trips, laundry, cooking, packing, unpacking and preparing for this week....we realized we had been given so many blessings.

Not one day passes in the middle of the work, school, home and errands that we don't think about our baby girl/s. Is she, (or they), born yet? How are her birth parents doing during this time in their lives? How are the caregivers who work so diligently to meet the needs of these precious babies? How are all those involved in government offices and adoption agencies doing as they continue to work to bring the children together with their "Forever Families?" How are the other waiting families doing as they continue with paperwork, preparations and "patience-building" during this journey to their babies? What does our little girl look like? What did her day involve? Does she have any idea how very, very loved she is on both sides of the planet? Does she suck her thumb or twist her hair? Does she like music? Is she learning to talk already? Does she realize how many people are praying for her? Even though we have never seen her picture and don't even know her date of birth, we thank God for her every day and our hearts are overflowing with joy and love for her. In the middle of life, our family and our hearts....she is truly with us every moment!

We were indeed reminded recently that the same God who holds our Jenna Elizabeth, ("JennaBeth"), (and maybe our Emma Katherine--"EmmaKate"), in His hands continues to bring us all closer together in His loving and perfect plan. Last Friday our mailman began frantically blowing his horn in front of our house. I was a bit puzzled for we had not ordered anything recently and I couldn't imagine what package would be coming to our home. But I walked out to his car on our street and he handed me a package from a dear friend of ours in Indiana. Once I got inside, I quickly opened the package and found a precious, precious book entitled "On The Night You Were Born." As I sat down and read it, the tears began to fall. Our sweet friend, Joyce, found this book and chose to send it to us for our baby girl/s. The book is adorable and I would highly recommend it to any of you who have children or grandchildren...or just want to read it for yourselves! (And that comes from my personal Mom, counselor and teacher perspectives!) Thank you, Joyce, for allowing God to work through you to remind us that the birth of our little daughter/s is still being witnessed, orchestrated and blessed by our wonderful Heavenly Father. Although we are not present for her birth, our baby is still in the most loving and capable hands we could ever imagine! I can hardly wait to read it to our little sweetie/s. Our 20 year old daughter read it aloud this weekend and we were both teary-eyed when she finished! I think I'll even read it to our almost 17 year old son soon, too! It touches us all as we remember that we are created and brought into this world with an incredible design and purpose! Wow!!

So in the middle of life's busy schedules, demands, noises and concerns, please remember that life is indeed a precious gift. You are not alone, dear ones. Our baby girl/s are not alone. Our family is not alone. You have been given this gift of life for an incredible purpose and you are special! You are special to Him...and you are special to us! Our thoughts and prayers continue for each of you as we walk together in this journey of blessings!
Cherishing life,
Terri & Family