Sunday, March 29, 2009

A New Book; A New Worry


I went to the library at our church today. I got a book called, Thriving as an Adopted Family. Instead of thriving, it made me nervous, made me feel like I don't know what I'm getting into. I don't. But all along I have felt that I am doing everything for someone else, not for me. All the documents I had to find, all the notarizing and phone calling and criminal searches just felt like something I was supposed to do, not something I had to do for me. This is a blessing.

While I was at church, I also saw a picture of 3 women who are going to Ethiopia. I felt something I've haven't felt before when I hear about someone going to a Really Hot Country Where I Can't Drink the Water: jealousy.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Some pictures

A recent family game night (Feb. 2009)

Our family in 2006


Addis and Tabor helped us build a new room

The End and the Beginning

In April of 2008, Addis Wolde was diagnosed with cancer. She is a beautiful girl from Ethiopia who came to the United States in October of 2004. She attended the boarding school where Joel and I worked. For 2 summers she and her brother lived with us, quickly becoming part of our family. When they were able to live with their mom, we were happy for them but missed them more than we would have imagined. For weeks, I would get out six plates for the kids or 8 of something when it involved our whole family.

On April 16th, a friend and I were at Children's Hospital in St. Paul waiting with Addis's family for the outcome of a 3 1/2 hour surgery. When the surgeon came in, he explained to us that she had cancer and that the cancer had spread. Addis was hospitalized for 2 weeks and then for one week periods every month to receive chemo. Lots of things ended: my memory of what we did for school, my ability to cook, my ability to parallel park, my ability to balance my checkbook and my ability to write a blog.

During the first part of May, I was putting away a stack of laundry. I prayed to ask God what He wanted me to do with this experience. What I expected was that I was to volunteer at Children's Hospital. What I heard instead was, "You adopt."

And so now I blog again, because of Addis, who is cancer free at this point, and because, God willing, I will be flying to Addis Ababa this year to pick up a baby girl. My internal plate-counter will be so happy.

A New Blog

I had a blog called "Things That Go Mom in the Night." I still like the title, but I can't get back to it. That's because of Addis. Now I'm starting a new blog and, you may have noticed, it's also because of Addis.