We are certainly celebrating over here! It's hard to believe that a little over a week ago we were still in a long stretch of waiting and wondering about the future. Now, we are filled with thanks for the opportunity Nate has been given and the significant ways our adoption moves ahead.
I tend to think of myself as a realist (borderline pessimist?). That doesn't mean that I don't allow myself to dream, to be content in the moment, or have faith in the unknown. I just believe that anything worth pursuing passionately comes with struggles. Going into our marriage, I was very aware of every potential struggle that could come our way. Being five years in, I've been rarely discouraged and so blessed by how natural of a team we are together. When challenges (obviously) come up, we get a problem-solving attitude rather than a defeatist one. As with anything wonderful in life, I anticipated the adoption journey would be similar. The specific challenges have been surprising (the time frame changing significantly, having to start over a few months in, Nate losing his job) and my increasing desire to become a parent has surprised me. But the fact that the road has not been entirely smooth is not a surprise.
So while the adoption seemed to stand still but the months rolled by so quickly, we still had faith. We knew God would provide, everything would work out eventually. We completely acknowledged there was a bigger picture and this was a temporary place. We had trust and faith in the bigger picture. But what I don't think we truly remembered is that God is in control of even the littlest details. Every part of this waiting period has been in His hands. There was work being done even when everything seemed so quiet. The timing of Nate's job offer was so perfect we couldn't believe it. We were in the middle of what was our first truly worrisome week financially when Nate prayed for a company he had interviewed with to keep him in mind as a candidate. Five minutes later he got a text letting him know he was being offered the job.
Trusting that everything will be fine is one thing, but having faith that everything IS fine is entirely different. It's not as though we are abandoned and then retrieved. There is so much going on behind the scenes that we could never understand. So much growth, so much preparation. Each day is filled with the moments that are supposed to be.
After notifying our placing and home study agencies, they were eager to get us right back into the process. Changes will be made to our home study, which means re-doing FBI checks, financial evaluations, medical physicals, insurance info and interviews. I couldn't be more excited to be doing paperwork again! As soon as we have our home study updated, we will send it to USCIS to be approved to adopt. Then, it will be sent to Taiwan and once the nursery in Taiwan knows we exist as adoptive parents the process to find a match can begin.
Things are moving again, which feels really good. But I hope whether the days feel like they are flying by or hardly moving, I remember that the goal is not just to get to a destination. The point is to appreciate the intricately planned details that are just what we need to experience.
