Thanks for the Journey...

Throughout our journey, some of the most challenging days have come around the Holidays.  I come from a family where traditions are huge and family time is priceless.  While Thanksgiving and Christmas are two holidays that we can't wait to be with our family for, over the past several years of our waiting process, they became holidays that we longed to have our own child to share in the celebrations with.  Last Wednesday, as we loaded up our car to travel to Bel Air for Thanksgiving, it was almost surreal that we weren't just taking our dog Al with us this year!  We had an actual child in our car...a son that we had not only dreamed about but prayed for as a family over countless holidays.  That reality in itself set off the flood works of gratitude in our hearts.

Our Thanksgiving was amazing.  From driving in the car with Biruk (ok...that had it's amazing parts and not so amazing parts, let's be honest!), to watching the Macy's Day Parade, to eating Thanksgiving Dinner as a family, to playing with cousins and laughing hysterically, to watching so many firsts for Biruk, we were beyond blessed.  We have so much to be thankful for.  It's beyond easy to be thankful for Biruk (have you looked at the kid???).  He is an answered prayer.  He is the end of one journey and the beginning to another.  He is a dream fulfilled and evidence of the hope of Christ.  But as I have been thinking this weekend, my real gratitude comes from the journey that got us to this place where we can celebrate that we are finally a forever family.  That journey was never an easy one, but it is where I find some of my deepest gratitude.  That being said, here are some things I am thankful for because of it...

1.  Some of the most challenging days forced me to rely on God and not myself.
2.  I met friends that I would have never connected with otherwise.
3.  My perspective on God's faithfulness grew.
4.  I was able to travel to Honduras multiple times on trips that changed my life in significant ways.
5.  Through my pain I was able to understand someone else's.
6.  I became educated about orphans and the need around our world.
7.  I learned that unanswered prayers aren't always a bad thing.
8.  We discovered a passion for orphans.
9.  Nate and I were able to go to the waffle house at midnight...whenever we wanted!
10.  I saw a love from my sisters that ran so much deeper than I ever realized.
11.  I watched my Dad's heart break for orphans, challenging him and changing him.
12.  I saw my Mom give an unbelievable amount of time and love to me...something I hope I do for Biruk.
13.  I connected with other women who struggled with infertility and was able to just listen.
14.  We got to share our story with my volleyball team, ultimately pointing to the faithfulness of God.
15.  I developed a new love for prayer.
16.  I got to see what happens when you trust God for the big things...like raising $40,000.
17.  We developed a love for Ethiopian food!
18.  We were able to share our story in several churches.
19.  I was able to write and article for Holiness Today that spoke of the rawness of waiting.
20.  I learned the importance of listening to God in the silence.
21.  I developed a love for blogging and journaling and writing.
22.  I got to eat A LOT of cupcakes...thanks to Mom making like 8,000 to raise money!
23.  I watched my niece, Emma, at the age of 6, develop compassion for the need around our world.
24.  I had the opportunity to share our story at the college where Nate and I met.
25.  I learned that hope is not found in our circumstances, but in our relationship with God.
26.  I became broken in a way that God was able to have EVERYTHING for his purposes.
27.  I saw that God's plan is far greater and bigger than ours.
28.  We met people who are on the same journey who will now be friends for life.
29.  We got to see love on orphans before we ever even met our son, preparing us for what was to come.
30.  I had A LOT of time to learn how to change a diaper!
31.  I had a chance to grow as a person and prepare for Motherhood.
32.  Nate and I got to learn how to make pray and make tough decisions together.
33.  Nate and I got to do A LOT of really cool things as we waited...like go on some sweet cruises!
34.  I got to have some serious bonding time with my mom in Florida each year as part of the "waiting."
35.  I got to boycott mother's day with my mom and sisters creating memories we would have never had.
36.  God gave me a totally different perspective on Mother's Day allowing me to see with different eyes.
37.  I have been given opportunities to be a voice for the voiceless.
38.  I learned that God whispers to us even in our most painful moments.
39.  I learned that the waiting process, while some days seems never ending, is more than purposeful.
40.  I got to have some pretty sweet God moments in the car as I listened to music.
41.  Biruk developed a fan club before anyone even met him, just by listening to his story!
42.  I was encouraged in some unbelievable ways, including letters from over 50 women in my life.
43.  I got to be real with God about how I felt and he chose to love me regardless.
44.  I saw how God was piecing a bunch of moments in our lives to bring us to the best moment.
45.  I have been able to see some of those who are closest to me recently feel a tug toward adoption.
46.  We were able to host our very first Orphan Sunday and invite so many people to see God's heart.
47.  It gave us plenty of time to do paperwork...and there is A LOT of that!
48.  We developed a love for a country that would soon become more than just a place on a map.
49.  We watched what God can do when we are obedient.
50.  Had we not had the journey, we would not have the most amazing son in the world (he was born two years after that journey started!).

My heart is full, and I pray that every day I won't ever forget the journey.  It's where my deepest gratitude lays.