Relief, Pure Relief

Today marks 1 week since we received the call that we were approved to adopt. I have had a week to process the news. I am so very thankful that God has brought this initial part to a close. Our Sunday School lesson 2 weeks ago was on perseverance. It truly came at a perfect time; I had started to doubt whether our desire to adopt was from God.

Our reaction to being told we have to wait until our 3rd anniversary has been mixed. I have thought about pros and cons, but it is what it is and we ultimately have to wait like it or not. On one hand what is 6 months in the life of our marriage? We are committed to each other and God willing will live a long happy life together. On the other hand 6 months is a huge chunk in the life of our child who will only be a child at most 10 more years!

The Pros:
We have 6 more months (at least) to work on our marriage
...to make memories
...to have our LAST vacation as a couple before children
...to sleep in on Saturday
...to take vacations no matter if school is in or not
...to walk around the house in the buff (LOL)
...to not be concerned with child care when they are out of school
...to not have to find a sitter when we spontaneously decide to go out
...to sell our home and move to the land
...to get my income up with the new business
...to buy furniture for bedrooms

The Cons:
We are missing ball season (if they play)
...birthdays
...family vacations
...milestones
...the first day of the school year
...taking them on church trips
...Mother's Day and Father's Day
Our kids are missing knowing that they are wanted
...time with their new family without the stress of school
...peace of mind that they have a family who wants to love them
...getting a new family before their next birthday
...stability

With all of our pros and cons we still must trust God. We know His timing is perfect. If God decides that we are ready before August or that our kids need us before August, then He will make a way. For now we must remember we have a purpose while we are waiting. Sunday's message was on waiting for Christ's return. We should be working for His glory. Always looking above and trusting His provisions and timing. While we are here our life should be a witness to others.

We will serve the Lord in gladness while we are waiting. Praying daily for our precious little (or big) ones.

YES YES YES

Short post, but WE ARE APPROVED!!!! Well we are approved in August to adopt. The State DHR department decided they wanted us to be married for 3 years before they approved us. So pending no major changes between now and August, we are approved to be an adoptive resource in the state of Alabama!
Super excited!

Provisions from Above

The last week of 2011 brought two very real reminders that God provides. I love writing down blessings (partly because my memory is terrible). Looking back at what has been provided by our loving Heavenly Father is amazing!

I plan out a pretty strict budget each year. I base it on our minimum bring home pay that we can expect each 2 week period. Since starting my own business this amount fluctuates a great deal more than it used to. This two week period included the Christmas holiday and I had fewer hours. As it turned out, our income was off by $140! I didn't stress, but it was in the back of my mind over the weekend. I got home to find that there was a $141 check from a judgement against Countrywide Mortgage. I knew there was a class action suit filed against them, (something to do with PMI payments), but I had no idea we would receive anything from it. How awesome is our God! His provides for our needs.

Friday I was driving through the neighborhood and found a dresser at the curb. We have needed to replace the dresser in the front bedroom for some time, but I haven't wanted to spend the money on it. This dresser is larger and more suited to our needs. It just needed to be cleaned up and have a coat of paint. I really thought I had paint left over from painting a bookshelf last year, but couldn't find any.
For those who don't know, Lowes and Home Depot will sell paint cheap when it is mixed incorrectly and the customer refuses to purchase it. Last year I found some light turquoise on discount and thought it would be perfect for my office bookshelf. When I left for the store Friday night I wanted to check out the discount rack, but didn't really expect to find a coordinating color.
I didn't find a coordinating color, what I found was an EXACT match! I don't know if you fully understand how amazing that is. We aren't taking a "normal" paint color. I found a custom mixed satin finish paint identical to the custom satin finish paint I bought a year ago!

If you aren't looking for God's blessings, you are truly missing out. I pray that in 2012 my eyes will be even more open to the provisions and surprises from God!