Fall has arrived here in New Jersey in full force.
The air is cooler, the leaves are failing, and the lovely autumn weather seems to be beckoning us to come and play among its splendor and be refreshed.
And we are.
Both of the girls are now fifteen.
It’s seems so hard to believe that Eliza and Evangeline have been home thirteen months. In some ways the time flew by as we plunged into loving our newest blessings. In other ways it seemed like time crawled while we pressed through huge medical issues with Evangeline and sought answers for Eliza’s very difficult adjustment.
I remember the first week we were home. We were at our first appointment with the adoption clinic at CHOP, and I recall the social worker explaining to us that things become so much more comfortable after a year for these older children and for their new families.
With amazing punctuality, I notice that happening for all of us.
We’re heading into our second autumn, our second Thanksgiving together, and unlike last year when everything was so new, this year the girls have memories of a previous fall we shared. They have happy associations and memories that are familiar to them now. And their smiles speak of a common history that has now become their own.
The change a family has made in Eliza and Evangeline’s lives is indescribable really.
Where once there was uncertainty, there is now the confidence and peace of knowing they are loved and not alone anymore.
I think one of the most amazing things for me, as a mother, has been the ability to watch the girls become siblings, to see them share their strengths and personalities, to carve out a place for themselves that is worthwhile and meaningful amongst all their brothers and sisters, and finally to become intricately woven into the fabric of their new family.
I’ve also been amazed at the ability of our biological children to welcome their two newest sisters with an ease and a natural acceptance that has been rather remarkable.
As we move into our second year with the girls, I am aware of God’s miraculous hand in our lives.
Merely fourteen months ago,we were still $30,000 from having the money to go and get the girls.
Today, we are completely on the other side of God’s enormous miracle. He not only provided every single penny we needed to bring the girls home, but He has faithfully carried us through this year and blended our family together in a way only He could have.
In spite of all the struggles and the tears we’ve cried, we’re here, a year into this amazing journey with the girls, and through it all. God is writing His story of power and redemption in our lives.
If you are stepping out in faith today, to make a difference in someone’s else’s life, or walking through a valley that seems to have no end, know that you can trust God to be faithful to see you through.
He will not forsake you.
Blessings!
Just beautiful, Diane. Thank you again for the reminder!
Thanks, Diane. We are walking one of those roads and this reminder was for me! <3
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Dear Diane, it is so good to see those happy faces without worries leading an uncomplicated life, as it should be for every child. Love is all you need