St. Patrick's Day

Today is a big day for the Irish. When you think of St. Patrick’s Day you might think parades, parties, corned beef & cabbage and people in celebration while wearing clothing that makes the public filled streets appear to resemble a sea of green.  And I better not forget the most important part of the day for many: the beer! But for myself, my mind is far away from celebrating. My mind goes to our sons’ in China and to an uncle that they will never meet in person.  Bill was a uncle, a son, a brother, a husband, and father. Bill was my brother, and an uncle to our current two sons.  Bill’s life came to an end on St. Patrick’s Day in 2009, due to a choice he made. I could get into the details of his life, but I’m choosing not to. I could tell you about the day Bill died, but it wouldn’t change the outcome. The death of Bill has been hard on my family. Some family members saw Bill’s act as selfish, as well as cowardly, for he did not consider the pain of those loved ones who would be left to live with this loss. We have gone through so many emotions and still are left with the question “why?” As I struggle with Bill’s death, I am reminded that life is not perfect for anyone. Each and every person on earth has struggles. But I know that I don't have to go through these struggles alone.  I have a Father in heaven that I can go to when the pressure mounts, along with friends and family to help me through the troublesome times.

As I struggled with Bill’s death, I drew strength from the words of Psalm 121.

 ¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.

 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.

Dossier To China

The documents in our dossier have been notarized (certified by the appropriate state court or agency), and have had the "state seal" affixed to them by the appropriate state government offices.  Our paperwork is all “sealed” up! This is wonderful news! With all the state seals in place our adoption agency mailed our dossier to China on March 11, 2011.  Our dossier was sent to China via international express mail.  Our agencies Beijing representatives will hand-deliver it to the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs).  Now, our next wait is for our log in date from the CCAA.

Here are some words from our adoption agency social worker. “Once your dossier is submitted to China, most families travel about 4 - 6 months later.  This timeline may be a little bit shorter if the CCAA decides to expedite the process for the boys - which I feel that they might because they are very keen on getting them adopted as soon as possible.”

As we prepare to adopt our sons’ from China, I have been doing some reading about their culture and customs. China just celebrated Chinese New Year and one of the customs for a child is to receive a new set of clothes and shoes to celebrate the new year... and I began to think about the children living in orphanages. Their lack of a family who would provide such an outfit does not exist.  

Our sons’ will soon have the gift of a family…our family. Once home, they will begin to learn that their needs will be provided for by us. It will take time as they learn they don’t have to be in control and watch out for themselves…something a child who lives in an orphanage has had to learn to do.

As I read and learn, I am reminded that I am NOT an orphan. I have a Heavenly Father who is taking care of me. He is taking care of the details of my life. It is a lifelong process of learning to trust and learning that I’m loved with such an intense, unconditional  love. My prayer for our sons’ is that they come to be a part of His family. May they come to fully understand the love of a Heavenly Father who can meet there needs…fully and completely.

Documents Located

We are so happy! The documents that the state of Wisconsin could not locate mysteriously showed up at our adoption agency. Everything was verified by the state of Wisconsin and was in order.  Our adoption agency hopes to be able to mail our dossier (barring any further hiccups) in about one and a half weeks! This was wonderful news. We can stop assembling documents and go back to waiting.

Thank you for the prayers. We look forward to picking our sons’ up from China, but until that happens, we will continue to pray for them and us! Yes, we do need prayer.