Sometimes a day can change your life...

Today my mind is full, and thankfully, so is my heart.  Our one and only daughter, and first born, is celebrating her 10th birthday.  It doesn't seems possible.  I, like most other mothers, should be thinking back to the moment of her birth, her first little cry, and the exhaustion that follows such a blessed event, but I'm not.  You see, we didn't meet her immediately, for she belonged to someone else.  Our daughter came to us through the miracle of adoption, we found out of her arrival the next morning, some 12 hours after her birth.  I still remember every word of the call from our agencies social worker--she would be a risk, we must head North immediately, preterm baby girl, but beautiful.  Then, the simple question, "Did we want her?" For those unfamiliar with adoption lingo, our daughter was an emergency placement and they are more than risky.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the priveledge of being ignorant, I well knew the challenges.  Did we want her? More than life itself!  Yes, my husband and I quickly knew she would be worth it.  The next few months were a mess...constant sickness, worry, no termination of rights for months, yet, it was amazing.

Today, I'm pondering God's timing.  We are no strangers to feeling lost as we seek God's will.  There were a few years in our marriage that we never thought we'd have children, it was devastating.  Then there was a time, after a failed adoption, we had no direction.  Then came a season where pregnancy was too easy, but carrying to viability didn't work.  We certainly didn't understand.  Yet, each and every time, in every crisis, God has shown himself to us completely.  Many times, I found myself saying, "God, I trust you in this, but I don't like this hand we've been dealt. It HURTS!! The only way I can accept this situation is with your help...and it may take awhile." Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

So today, as we prepare to celebrate a special birthday, I can't help but remember that crooked path we walked on our way to her. Our little risk, our sweet, precious girl, has been an amazing blessing.  Smart, good-hearted, and beautiful in every way!  We may not have heard her first cry, but 12 hours later, when she looked at us with big, blue eyes and whimpered softly, our hearts never knew the difference!  And, I was blessed with that first sticky meconium poop and that counts for something.  Lol!!  God is so good!

Tomorrow...Gotcha Day!