Liberty and Lily

First 48 Hours

An Orphan No Longer

Almost There

It started with the rekindling of a dream, sparked in early morning hours as I held my precious granddaughter, reading reports online of numbers that staggered my comprehension.

147 million orphans.

I can't fathom a million of anything, let alone 147 million, let alone 147 million children without parents, some in desperate need of life's most basic requirements, all in need of families.

It's not something a person can ignore. It's not something to overlook. It's not something to forget.

And so, we made the calls, had the appointments, scheduled the homestudy, filled out the paperwork, and leaned on God for sums of money we didn't have. Six months after that, we saw a picture and made a decision. They said he was five years old. No way. So we chose an age, chose a birthday, and claimed a life.

One year after that - and more steps in the journey than I could ever describe (only those who have walked this path understand) - with struggles along the way that rocked my world and threatened our futures - we are now, finally, just hours away.

Excited.

Nervous.

Eager.

Nervous.

Did I mention nervous?

Saturday night, JFK airport in New York.

Perhaps we haven't made a difference in the world. 147 million minus one is still a staggeringly absurd number.

But Jesus changed my heart. He put me in His family. So we are putting Dominique in ours.

Whatever big ideas we had, whatever big hopes we envisioned, whatever big dreams we sought, it now comes down to this:

one boy, one family - together, for life.

Safe to say

...that I never dreamed that on my 54th birthday, I'd be days away from becoming a mother again.

God definitely does "abundantly above what we could ask or think."

And then some.

Note to Self:

Remember these moments...

With the Sound of Music...

It is a thing of joy in a young person's life when a dream unfolds, when a new reality appears, when she realizes "I can."

This summer contained Hannah's moment, thanks to the ones who made it possible for her to attend the Theater Arts Camp of Sussex (associated with FAITH Center).

Hannah, we are so proud of you, and we are so excited for all God has for you.

Don't stop singing...

What We Did On Our Family Reunion

We swam...

hit...

flew a kite...

grilled...

messed around in boats...

watched sailboats go by...

paddled...

soaked up the sun...

watched sailboats return...

had a campfire...

paddled some more...

studied...

messed some more with boats...

ate outside...

posed for the family photo...

(standing, left to right: my son-in-law Nate, daughter Bethany, son Nathan, husband Bill, me, brother Chuck, sister-in-law Lauren, niece Paige, nephew Chuck, niece-in-law Holly, nephew Eric, his girlfriend Kristy; in front: my daughter Hannah, my Mom, my Dad, my nephew Troy.)

watched the moon rise...

lit the lamps...

laughed...

sat around for the unveiling, and listened to the first chapter of the third Grandchild Novel. This one, "The Snail's Pace" ("Racing over the mighty St. Lawrence River at breakneck speed, no one believed winning was an option - but it was!") is about Nathan. The first two novels were about Hannah and my nephew Chuck; my Dad is writing them, they are treasured gifts in our family.