I have the BEST friends

I really do.

I woke up Thursday morning to my phone ringing. Kip had just left to take Taylor to the bus and thankfully the phone was lying on the floor by my side of the bed. Libby, who is my spiritual mama, broke the devastating news to me about the Chapman family. She wanted me to hear it from her before I heard it anywhere else. Our conversation was brief and I went to my radio and turned it up. It was on KLOVE and there were numerous calls coming in from listeners expressing their sorrow and promising to pray. I recall the next song to play was "Lord, you never let go of me" I just sat there on my floor and sobbed. Deep sobs for a family that I dearly love.

The world of adoption is like a fraternity, of sorts. There is a certain lingo that adoptee parents understand and the world outside of adoption can't comprehend. If I were to say Dossier, LID, PA, DTC, the brown stork, Gotcha some would get it and others would think I slipped into another language. It is kinda like that I guess. I have said it many times before but our heart beats "adoption". And the profound miracle of adoption that God has allowed us to partner with Him forever changed us and also gathered us into a larger family. We have worked hard getting together every personal document known to man, then trusted a FedEx man with these precious documents. Waited again for translation. Again for our DTC. Celebrated our LID. Settled in for a unpredictable wait. Fell in love with a picture. Traveled to the other side of the globe. And walked out of room changed forever by what happened just moments before as our children were placed in our arms and a love unlike any other began to blossom. And would not ever stop growing.

I know that is why my heart hurts so much for the Chapman's. And why the tears won't stop.

In August of 2002, I attended a Steven Curtis Chapman concert. It was there that God whispered to my heart that we were going to adopt from China. Their story of adopting Shaoey captivated my heart and will forever have a special place in our lives. The passion and boldness poured out from another SCC concert is where God spoke to Kip.

A week later we walked in our agreement to pursue adoption. February 24, 2005.
Our daughter was born October 24, 2005.

Our story between February 2005 and June 2006 can be explained as the Great Adventure. I will tell that here one day.

But this is where my friends come in. I am a little long winded and love to give details. So, thanks for hanging in there.

My friends know my story. They have walked beside us. They know our hurts, our disappointments. They have shared our joys, too.

That is why my phone did not stop ringing all day Thursday. The reason why my e-mail box was full. And why my answering machine was flashing when we got home from camp.

They were checking in to make sure we were okay. No, this tragedy didn't affect my physical family of 6, truly Thank You Lord, but it affected my extended family through adoption. They know me well enough to know I would be heart broken. They were heart broken, too. Because we had given them a glimpse into this family called adoption. And simply because a mother's heart knows a mothers heart.

I was walking to my car that day and I felt the Spirit of God whisper to my heart "your friends love you." Peace began to seep into a spirit that was beginning to walk back into the captivity of fear.

Their love and support helped me walk in a limped victory that sad afternoon.

I will never be the same.

Thank you, friends.

I love you back.