Gratitude

Since we began the adoption process in March of 2009, there have been more occasions than I can count in which my heart has overflowed with gratitude. When pulling together our dossier, the kindness, understanding, and willingness to help was, at times, overwhelming. Since receiving the referral for Little Bee, the empathy, sympathy, curiosity, support and raw emotion has brought me to tears on many occasions.

Last weekend I was brought to tears yet again when my mother-in-law, Judy, hosted a luncheon in which several of her friends and neighbors contributed donations to Little Bee’s orphanage. These women, many of which Dave and I have never met, took time out of their schedules and gave gifts and money to provide the orphanage with items much needed to carry out the work that the orphanage does.
This picture embodies what this process has taught me. It is not only about Dave and me getting a son and Little Bee getting a second chance at a family; It’s about how we are all connected and how our decisions and actions affect others. Every time I look at it, I am touched in a different way. Whether we are one block from each other, or on the other side of the globe from one another, we are all connected and have the opportunity to make a difference in each others lives.

I feel as if I am over flowing with gratitude for how supportive so many people have been; how truly caring they are. Everyone from family members to perfect strangers, have opened their hearts to us, to Little Bee, and to Ethiopia. So, thank you to everyone from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for your support, for your caring, for touching our lives and others, including Little Bee. Thank you.