Time is not standing still! (as previously thought :) )

Hello All, Many of you already know that the last couple of months have been challenging for our family in regards to our adoption process.  I have shed many tears the last couple of months and Rob (wonderful man that he is) has done a lot of hugging and holding.  It has often felt at times like time has been standing still, like our adoption is not moving and never will.  We are 13 months waiting for a referral for our child (along with so many other families) and feeling the burn of that wait.  I have been angry, sad, and overwhelmed by the emotions of this process, and I can't say enough...so in love with a child we don't know yet and want to meet so badly.  So many of you have shared with us (me) some awesome pearls of wisdom and along with a little help from a sermon at church, I think I finally get it.   The talk this past weekend addressed that we often are questioning life's events before knowing the whole picture, which often isn't revealed til later.  I realized today that I am acting like the Holly we all know and love, "I want what I want when I want it."  I have made my timeline and by gosh we all better follow it....yeah right.  I am realizing, slowly but surely, the bigger picture... Sometime in the future, Rob and I are going to be welcoming into our family our third child (a daughter or son... stay tuned should be interesting), and like our other two's entrance it will be amazing.  Yes, we will have our ups and downs but when I think of getting "the call", I am excited. We will be adding another blessing to our family, another beautiful child that we would give our life for... and that friends is what this is all about. Granted, the boys will be older than I thought, Rob and I will be older than I thought (but all still beautiful and handsome of course :) ) but getting our 3rd amazing gift from God (Yahoo!!!).  I finally realized that God has given me the gift of time.  In the last 21 months, I have been able to meet (or even get to know better) some amazing people and see their adoption journeys unfold, learn about a different culture, get excited about traveling to Ethiopia (an opportunity that not to many get), count my blessings, count my blessings, count my blessings (whew, what a busy 21 months but awesome).  Like many others have said....I am not saying that I am not still frustrated by the wait but I think I am finally realizing just because I have to wait doesn't mean its not going to happen.  In the meantime,  I will keep watching Paula Dean, because she makes me smile, so sweet (so sad to hear about her Diabetes, but you go girl,  cheers to a healthier lifestyle for us all, but let's not go getting crazy and forget about butter ;) ).  So time is not standing still. I will continue to belly laugh (because so many of you make me do that on a regular basis and I love you for it).  I will enjoy the little things, enjoy the big things, and ENJOY.  I hope this update finds all of you well and enjoying a good belly laugh daily if possible.  Smile on :) friends.  P.S. if you are reading this, I love to hear your comments.

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