Of Mothers & Daughters...............

Today I am celebrating the best gift I have been given (next to my hubby of course), being a Mama. Four years ago today in a hot and stuffy room in Changsha, Hunan, we met AlinaJayne for the first time. I have been blessed beyond comprehension to be able to parent AlinaJayne. I tend to be very focused and driven, and she makes me stop and realize what is truly important in this world. It's amazing how much a 5 year old can teach an almost 42 year old about life. God knew what he was doing when he made us a family.

I am also thinking about our youngest daughter who is waiting for us in Ethiopia. I would give anything to have her here with me on this Mother's Day, but we are at the mercy of a less than perfect Immigration system that does not see the importance of bringing children home to American parents. I will never be able to fix the system, so all I can do is pray that she is safe, send love in my prayers, and hope that another family who is traveling to bring their child home will take pictures for us. Her birthday was May 7th, and we missed that. Our agency spoke with the immigration officer on April 28th, and he said the supplemental documentation that our agency provided would be sufficient, so we expected to receive written confirmation of this last week. Unfortunately, this did not come, so we keep waiting. I have to say that I am doubtful that she will be home by the end of June-even though our agency predicted the end of May/early June. A Mama always knows...

On this Mother's Day, I also find myself thinking about AlinaJayne & ChallieJayne's Birthmothers (and AlinaJayne's Foster Mama/ChallieJayne's nannies).We owe so much to them. Without the selfless and painful decision their Birthmothers made, we would not be their parents. We are also so grateful for AlinaJayne's Foster Mama and the nannies who are caring for ChallieJayne until she can come home. They have all had such an important part of these children's early lives.

Today we did the annual Mother's Day planting. We always landscape my Mom's grave for the spring/summer season, and then come home to plant roses and lilies for AlinaJayne's Birthmother (aka Tummy Mama) and Foster Mama. Next year we will also be planting a rosebush for ChallieJayne's Birthmother.

I will end this post with a profession of love and gratitude for my own Mom. She sacrificed so much for us, always putting herself last to be sure we had what we needed. When you are a child, this selflessness is lost in the drama of day to day life. As a Mama, I realize that I own her more than I could ever re-pay her. I can only hope to be a fraction of the woman she was.

I saw this on a friend's webpage today and wanted to share it.

IF ROSES GROW IN HEAVEN


"If roses grow in Heaven, Lord, pick a bunch for me, place them in her arms & tell her they're from me. Tell her that I love &
miss her and when she turns to smile, place a kiss upon her cheek & hold her for awhile. Because remembering her is easy. I do it everyday. There's an ache within my heart that will never go away."

Enjoy the pics. You can click on them to enlarge them.

Happy Mother's Day.

 

(Mother's Day)

 

(ChallieJayne)