Thoughts on Waiting

This Saturday we went to our local "waiting families" lunch for our local Families with Children from China Group. We introduced Hung and we are officially a waiting family no longer! We started going to these monthly lunches in April 2005 when we began the wait for Lily. For 3 out of the last 4 years - we have officially been a "waiting family" with either documents in China or Vietnam. We will continue to go periodically to share that the waits do end and incredible, healthy, happy, funny children do come home.

I am not sure that anyone other than adopting families understand the pain, the ups and downs of the adoption wait. Our journey actually began more than 5 years ago when we explored domestic adoption. After "waiting" for almost 2 years to be chosen by a birth mom, we felt the call that our child waited in China. Four years ago Wednesday (May 20, 2005) we were "DTC" - dossier to China. We were 13 months from our dossier landing in China until travel. What a blessing our Lily has been.

Exactly a year later, we were matched with Hung and the extraordinary wait for 22 months began. Many joyous days, many tear fear filled and angry and hopeless days. And now he is here.

Marshall no longer waits for a brother to play ninja with. Lily no longer waits for a sibling her age to whisper and giggle with at night. We no longer wait and wonder about 'beautiful eyes" - the child with such soulful eyes waiting for us on the other side of the world. Hung no longer longingly looks at his photo albums and waits for his forever family.

This week Hung continues to use new words - yogurt, soda, wait, bicycle, kiss, Aunt Gail, red. He isn't sure he wants an American name or to be called "Hunter." He feels the need to constantly needle Lily about anything and everything. He has 1 more grape on his plate, he has two books in his hand when she has one, etc...Now we know why he got into a lot of fights at school. :) He can also be very sweet. He found a box of unused Christmas cards at Jim's office and colored in 8 of them so that he could dole them out, including Grandma, Ma Maw and his new favorite, Aunt Gail.

It pains me to know that there are still 5-6 other families waiting to bring their children home from the same province. There are families who sent their documents to China less than a year after we did who are still waiting 3 years later to be matched. Families continue to wait for children to come home from Guatemala, Russia and Ethiopia. Orphans world wide continue to wait for forever families.

There are many worse things to have to wait for - news about whether a cancer has spread, when a love one may be returning from deployment, whether citizenship will be granted so that an immigrant can join their family. But our hearts hold a special place for waiting families. We are so glad we are waiting no longer and will continue to pray for those who are.

Wendi and Brian - such amazing news that your travel is planned today!! At last. Wendi, there is no way I could have endured the wait without your love and support. I can't fathom the reason we didn't get to see Halong Bay together but we will explore Glacier next summer together with An and Hung instead! Eva and Annette - you are next and it will happen! Now we wait for the DN reunion! Perhpas Labor Day or Columbus day?