Referral-A-Versary!

A picture can change the world.  Our world anyway. 

One year ago tonight, this little face arrived in our email in-box.  With just a glance at those little dark eyes, big cheeks, tiny clasped hands, shaved head and fuzzy green suit, she was ours. 

After four years of waiting and wondering if the promise really would be fulfilled, a picture arrived.  The call came late at night with Mark out of town.  I heard, "I've emailed you a file."  Suddenly my gut was doing gymnastics.  Could it really be true?  A referral for US?  A long wait will make you a bit numb, a bit unsure, wavering in belief.   

With trembling fingers, I dialed Mark and clicked onto email.  I knew.  One look and my heart screamed, "YES!!!".   Cleft palate, delayed development?  Still, "YES!" 

And so Mark and I became parents again (as he studied her little image on his crack-berry screen).  Our brains told us to take it slow, have the file reviewed by a doctor, give it a day to settle in.  You can't stop a momma's heart though.  The answer was, "YES!"

The little noodle wiggled her way into this team's heart.  We thought we had at least another year to wait.  In our minds a referral was not on the radar.  One day earlier, we had said yes to another sister in Ethiopia.  Less than two weeks earlier, Donna suggested that we consider talking to another agency.  We were cynical, but we called.  Less than a week after that call, February 20th became our referral day.   This was a God-sized miracle!