Thanksgiving

The perfect shirt for Grace's first Thanksgiving!

How do I begin to write a post about Thanksgiving this year??? Seriously??? We are so lucky to have our four beautiful kids. We are grateful that 2010 was the year we had the privilege of welcoming our fourth child home. November is national adoption month - how perfect is it to celebrate adoption and Thanksgiving both at the same time of year? What a perfect fit. Adoption = Thanksgiving. We are obviously thankful for our beautiful little Grace, but we are also thankful for the people who made our adoption possible. We are so very thankful to our friends and family who have supported us along the way. I can't begin to count the hundreds of hours (over the course of years)that I have talked my friends' ears off about my desire to adopt, fears about adopting, struggles with the process, and finally the joy and celebration of our referral. So thankful for friends who "get it."

We are also lucky to have families who have supported our adoption. It was less than a year ago that we surprised them with the announcement that we were going to adopt a little girl from Africa. Huh? We are blessed to have family who love Grace as they would any other new grandchild, niece, or cousin. In fact, Grace's Aunt Patti is even making a special thanksgiving meal in honor of her...she told me that since it is Grace's first Thanksgiving in America, she wants it to be perfect. She has been planning how to cook the perfect turkey for Grace...so kind!

I am thankful to our agency, Arise for Children , for their dedication to Ethiopia and their willingness to prayerfully place children with the family that they believe God has chosen for them. We are so very thankful to have worked with an agency that is Kingdom minded and so very committed to honoring God's plan and not just processing paperwork.

Most of all, as we celebrate this Thanksgiving, we are thankful for the beautiful, unselfish family in Ethiopia who decided to choose faith, hope and love for their little girl and blessed us with the honor of becoming her second family... How I wish we could all be gathered around one table together this Thanksgiving. What an honor it would be to be with them, hold hands, and give thanks together for the blessings in our lives. For now, I'll just keep praying that they know how very thankful we are for Grace Hiwot and the joy she has brought to so many lives.

Wishing you all a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!