Life Unexpected

I remember the day like it was yesterday.  I was with my Mom in Florida, on an annual trip that had become essential to surviving the disappointment that seemed to seep deep into my soul, due to infertility.  The call came from Nate, who asked me if I was sitting down.  Two seconds later, I heard the voice of our social worker and knew this was the moment.  "You've been matched!  And he is so cute!"  I couldn't believe it.  After a long journey of infertility that led to a 25 month adoption wait...the deep disappointment that had taken up residence for far too long, had finally broken.  Joy came that day in the face of a little boy whose name we would learn meant, "Blessing." Today marks 7 years since we got the call that we had been matched with Biruk.  In the adoption world, we call it our "referral-aversary," but to me, it was a day that reminded me at my core, hope is never lost and God is always faithful, even when we can't see it.

At the end of January, I found myself incredibly sick.  I had just gone through a crazy season of unexpected transition at work, and I was wiped out.  It was a week before the Super Bowl, and my team, THE Kansas City Chiefs, had finally made it in and I was planning one epic party with my youth group.  What started with a 12 day flu, continued into 4 weeks of pneumonia and 2 more weeks of bronchitis.  Needless to say, I found myself in a new normal, where rest was essential, time at home was the norm, and work couldn't consume. It's kind of ironic, because a week before I got sick, I had preached in church about "getting off the bean bag of comfort," and 7 days later...literally couldn't get off the bean bag!  If you know me at all, you know that rest is usually not my mode of operation, and squeezing out every moment I can in 24 hours is (I blame my mom, who is just like me, which is why I love being around her!). It may seem weird, or maybe even over the t