Gotcha Day was November 17th.
It has been 4 blessed years with our sweetie.
Words can not express the love and joy this precious boy brings into our lives!!!
As the "month of thankfulness" passes away, I have been reminded of so many things that I appreciate. I can not even begin to list all of them. I can, however, share some of the thoughts and lessons I have learned recently. First of all, thankfulness is a heart of gratitude. Things in life don't have to be perfect or even "peachy" to have a heart of gratitude. I am learning to be thankful in the midst of struggles, pain, fear, worry . . . If I think back to my life only 5 years ago, I can see that I have changed. My eyes have been opened to new ideas. My perspectives have changed. I am more sensitive to the fact that everyone has their own story, joys, and sorrows. I can acknowledge that there is so much that I don't know or understand, and that I don't have the correct answer for everyone's situation. But I am also more confident in the decisions that we make and rely less on the "opinions" of others. I experience freedom in doing what God is leading us to do. I guess it is just growth and maturity, but I am not sure if I would be here in this state of mind if I hadn't gone through everything. And so, I can be thankful for even the trials.
Romans 5:3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
(Please read before and after for the context.) : )
On another note:
I am thankful for those who have encouraged, prayed for, and been a part of Samuel's growth. He has not only grown physically, he has grown in confidence and independence. I have even had moms that I run into periodically at the park mention how much he has changed. One mom even said that he seems like a different boy. He used to not really want to talk, go to school, hang out with anyone without me there (except his cousins Drewby and Cha Cha), go near loud places, and was very self-conscience. Now, he is flourishing at school, talks so much more (still working on intelligibility, but it is MUCH better), says hi to the teachers and staff at school, blows me kisses when he sees me in the hallway (instead of crying), enjoys hanging out with daddy while I am in another room or gone, plays with (not alongside) other kids, talks about his many friends at school, has braved going on a few blow up slides (the fans are loud), and expresses his feelings. He has such a sweet and sensitive heart and I am glad to see him feeling more free to share it. He has even raised his hand to share praise reports during staff prayer. That is a BIG deal! I am so proud of him!
So, thank you for being patient with us as we have spent the year focusing our time on helping him to feel more secure. Thank you for encouraging us to do what we need to do for our family. Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for supporting and loving us. We are richly blessed with friends, family, and our God.
