Thankful...

The process of updating our paperwork is in full gear now. We've already received reports back from a couple government offices and continue to wait for others. It's also been a joy to talk with those kind folks who previously wrote letters of reference/recommendation for us and are now renewing those letters for us. So the journey continues...and we are so thankful.

We heard from our adoption agency yesterday and it appears that there is some encouraging news, as well. At one time a year or two ago, referrals were made in month-by-month groupings. For example, the dossiers of that month usually received a month's worth of referrals. But as things progressively slowed down, only a few days of referrals were being matched during a month which meant that more waiting time extended for the adoptive parents. For the first time in a year, about eight days of referrals (instead of two or three days) were matched for the month of June! This is a wonderful step in the direction of possible reduced waiting time. So we rejoice in that slight but optimistic direction. We still have no idea when our baby girl/s will be with us but we are so thankful that there is good news in this area. It is already apparent to our family that the second year of this process is more challenging. The dossier has been sent and logged in...fourteen months ago tomorrow, to be exact!! We are updating paperwork this month and next. And then we wait...more.

Yet I can't help but remember what some wonderful friends continue to tell us. Some have said that "it's all in God's master timing and perfect plan." Another has said "God's timing is always right." And another has said "When you hold her in your arms, it all makes sense." So it is not for us to question the "whys" and "how much longer"...although that comes to mind every day. We'd rather focus on the fact that God indeed knows the specific baby girl/s He has in His plan for us...and He will bring us together when the time is right. So why? Because God isn't finished with this process yet. How much longer? As long as it takes to bring our baby girl/s into our family and home as God has planned! It is tough to wait, I'll admit. While walking through the mall today, I saw a precious little Asian girl and my heart jumped with joy and excitement. Then I realized that our little girl IS on the way...at just the right moment and in just the right way. She may not even be born yet. But she is in God's mind...and in His plan...and in our hearts. As our dear friend also reminded me recently, "God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways." We will trust in Him.

Meanwhile, we'll continue the updating process...and my friend, Judy, and I may eventually give in and buy those precious little girls' shoes that we've been watching! I mean...a girl can never have too many shoes anyway, right? :] And we want to be ready when the time...and our baby girl/s...arrive! Being "paper pregnant" is not always easy and it is the longest pregnancy I've ever known...but it sure gives us more time for shopping and preparing!!!!! ;]

We are so thankful in our journey for your prayers, your love, your reminders, your encouragement...and for all those who are helping us as we update the paperwork! This is truly a journey of blessings every step of the way! Thank you so much! Blessings to you and yours!
Cherishing the moment,
Terri and family

Another Step Forward

Well, the updating process has officially begun! Yesterday we mailed several documents out for updating our status. Our social worker will visit our home next month so it's really happening! Of course when she comes, we know we're going to have a wonderful visit. She's amazing! So the journey continues and we are grateful for every blessing involved.

It's been a long two years since our journey began with the application process. We've been logged in China's system for almost fourteen months now. But the wait ahead remains very long. It isn't easy...but we know each step takes us closer to our baby girl/s. This is a true faith-builder and an enormous patience-builder. But she is definitely worth every step we take toward her.

Thank you for your continued prayers. Thank your for caring. Thank you for your support during this exciting yet extended season in our lives. It would not be the same without you walking beside us. We'll keep you posted.

Have a great day and know you are always in our thoughts, hearts and prayers. We are so blessed in this journey and we love you all!
Terri & Family

Touching Base This Weekend

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

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

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

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

Beyond Our Reach, But In Our Prayers

It's a beautiful sunny, spring day and our journey continues, including learning many new lessons along the way. The lesson for right now seems to be learning to trust even more for the protection and provision of our loved ones. For they may sometimes be beyond our reach, but they certainly remain in our thoughts, prayers and hearts...yet in the hands of God continuously.

Our daughter, Rachel, is in New York City as I write this. The university choirs were invited to sing at Carnegie Hall and left last week to make the trip. She's already seen a Broadway musical, visited Times Square, Central Park and will witness Ground Zero and the Empire State building today. They have also been rehearsing for their concert tomorrow evening. After their concert, they will enjoy a cruise around New York Harbor and view the incredible Statue of Liberty. What an amazing experience this is for her and the other sixty-some choir members. What an amazing lesson it is for her parents! :) She has called home faithfully to let us know she's ok and we are always grateful when the phone rings and she's on the other end. We are indeed grateful for that call of assurance each day. We have even stated that of all weekends she is visiting NYC, we are so thankful that she is there the same weekend that the Pope is also visiting NYC. That would certainly mean more security in the area...and we breathe a sigh of relief for that. Of course, this isn't the first time she has been away from us. She has toured with other choirs as far west as Missouri and as far south as Florida. (We are so thankful for cell phones!) :) Yet for her to be in such a large city with limited supervision is a big step for her...and us.

As we considered all the "what ifs," I had to remind myself that just because our loved ones are out of our reach in the physical sense, that doesn't mean that our love and prayers cannot surround them. In one way, this is very similar to what we are experiencing in our journey to our little girl/s in China. We are unable to hold, protect and provide for our little one/s in a literal sense right now. But we have the peace in knowing that although we are limited by physical distance, we are not limited in the love and prayers that we can offer. So, I guess you could say that with our oldest daughter in NYC right now....and our baby girl/s in China, we are learning much more about trusting God to protect and provide for each of them as only He can. There are dear people in this world in other cities and countries whom God can certainly work through to take care of our loved ones while we're apart. And we must trust Him to do that and release them into His care knowing that He loves them and is a very capable parent, Himself!

We are grateful for all of your thoughts, prayers and love that you extend to our family along this journey. We cherish your kindness, hope and faith that you encourage us with as we wait...and learn...and grow along the way. We also pray that God will protect and provide for each of you in your journeys, as well. For even when we cannot see you on a daily basis, we must also remind ourselves that He's holding you in His hands, as well. God must certainly have wonderful and amazing hands as He holds all of us in His love and care. And if we're all in His hands, I guess we're not so far away from one another as it sometimes seems.

Cherish the gifts of life and today. Hug your loved ones nearby. And hold those "out of reach" in your hearts, thoughts and prayers...for then they really aren't so out of reach after all.
Cherishing our loved ones,
Terri and family