Today marks one month of officially "waiting" for our son. It's funny. We've been waiting, in our eyes, for years. Yet, today marks the official one month on the waiting list. In some ways this month has gone fast--we've kept super busy. We've gotten tons done. Thanksgiving took a week in and of itself. In other ways, it makes me understand how 20-30 more of these waiting segments could really grate on a family. We don't know how long we have. But we do know a month is in the books and we give thanks to the Lord for giving us patience and faith in this time.
Ever since we started, I knew I wanted to do a paper chain to count off the months of our wait. I've actually been waiting for the past week or so, excitedly wanting to make the first link in our chain. And today I got the chance. Here it is, friends:
Front side: date and how many months it commemorates (this one is in the Christmas tree to reflect the season)
Inside layer: I decided to place a Bible verse on the inside to remind us of the promises in God's word on our wait. So here's our first one, a super favorite of mine.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
Yes, we will need to call upon this many times in our wait. I can already tell.
I made it into a chain (kind of lousy chain at this point with only one ring) and put it in Little IC's** room, to commemorate the first month we waited for him.
As God would have it, we "just so happened" to get a gift from some friends today. You can call it a Christmas gift, if you want, but I shall call it our one-month DTE gift. Our awesome small group friend Jenna had been plotting to surprise me with this for a while. The suspense got to her and she told me about it a few weeks ago at a crafting party. To see it was something totally different, though, and at our Christmas dinner tonight, she and her husband presented it to us.
What is it? It is a word cloud, made of all the most-used words on my blog. The bigger the word, the more prominent of a theme it is in my blog writings. How cool!! Jenna also happened to know I needed one more piece of art for the IC's room. Sneaky, Jenna. Very sneaky. E and I couldn't love it more. Here it is in the room:
We may or may not have purchased our own one month DTE/ Christmas gift for the IC this weekend. I'm actually going to save it for tomorrow's post so it can be a surprise for the letter. You know, it is his present. He should get to hear about it first. And yes, I know the IC can't read these letters yet. But it's the principle of the matter.
I am headed to sleep. There are plenty of things to catch up on, but we happen to have a foster puppy (ahh yes, one thing that needs a post) that keeps things lively at night here so I am going to try and get sleep while I can.
Happy one month DTE to us! Here's to many, many (maybe one more many) more.
I had to chuckle, because the last paper chain I made was one counting down the days I was to return home from Africa. ;) May the day of waiting be days filled with purpose. Thinking of you all.
ReplyDeleteHello! I love your blog and I love your chain idea! I wish we had done the same thing.
ReplyDeleteWe have been waiting almost 16 months for our referral, but we started this journey expecting about a six month wait. Having our expectations blown out of the water has been very hard on us. We've struggled every step of the way. So my advice to you would be to not get caught up in timelines, because there is just no way of knowing how long you may wait. But, while you are waiting, take advantage of every opportunity. You won't believe the ways this wait will change you, stretch you, and mold you into the parent that God needs you to be. Your marriage and your faith will be stronger for it.
You have so much time to learn about Ethiopia and the causes surrounding the orphan crisis. Find your niche. What can you do in the meantime? Will you collect donations? Sponsor a mother or a child? Go on a mission trip? Who will you meet and what will you become? There is so much ahead of you. Don't waste a minute of the wait.
Good luck!
Brandy
Www.ourethiopiandaughter.weebly.com
This is great!
ReplyDeleteJess, I love this word cloud idea! So amazing to see a picture of the thoughts in your mind as your blog. I like how to words "wait" and "love" are so prominent.
ReplyDeleteHi! I just found your blog from the AWAA yahoo group! We are waiting for our homestudy report :) Hope the waiting period is being kind to you and your husband!!
ReplyDeleteliftingarms-at.blogspot.com
Congrats on 1 month down! I remember how excited I was for every month that disappeared. Not sure where you're from, but I see a lot of Mizzou gear in your pictures, and I found your blog from Stephanie Pritchett's (who goes to our church), so I'm going to guess you live close to me! We're always looking for other Ethiopian adoptive families to get together with (and encourage!), shoot me an email if you want to!
ReplyDeleteashleyredburn@hotmail.com