Thankful Thursday Indeed. . .

This Thankful Thursday is especially meaningful to our family.

It was this exact day, Aug. 2nd, three years ago, that our lives were changed forever. It was the day that I saw my youngest daughter's face for the very first time. Today is our Referral Anniversary. How can I ever begin to describe just how thankful I am to have her in my life? I will forever owe my deepest gratitude to God, her birth mother, her first caregivers, China, our wonderful agency & my husband for making it possible. On this day three years ago, I was pacing the floor, waiting for the phone to ring, making the dog and everyone else almost as nervous as I was. Finally, at 1:30 p.m., the phone rings. I see CCAI on the caller id and I was crying before I even answered the phone. After we got all the stats, Eric, the kids and I gathered around the computer to open the email that contained her picture. This is the sweet face that captured my heart, made me laugh, cry and took my breath away all at the same time and changed our lives in so many wonderful ways.

Today, I will hold her close, and whisper another prayer of gratitude for my dear, sweet girl. I can honestly say that EVERY day since that day, I have never forgotten, for even one second, just how grateful I am to be her mommy!


I am also thankful for all the delays in our adoption that were so frustrating at the time. Because without them, we would have ended up with another little girl, whom I am sure I would have loved just as dearly, but she would not be my Linzi Lu. For all the parents caught in this long wait, I can only imagine how you long for your child. But I promise you, wherever your journey takes you, when your day finally comes and you hold that child in your arms and look into her/his eyes, you will know that THIS is THE child that you were meant to love. In that moment, the timing will make sense and the pain of the wait will be worth it a million times over.

On a much lighter note, I am thankful to have passed my state real estate exam! YEAH! I am putting my license on inactive status, for now anyway. I am planning on starting my career when Linzi goes to kindergarten (2 more years). Another thing I am thankful for. (to be home for two more years, not her going to kindergarten! LOL)

I am thankful to have the exam behind me and to be able to focus on my kiddos 100% for the last days of summer break.