How is it already October?

Is it really almost 2010? I can remember the turn of the century like it was yesterday. There was all the hype that airplanes were going to crash and the world was going to be in chaos when the clocks changed from December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000.

And now here we are 10 years down the road.

Ten years ago at this time I had graduated from high school that summer and was in my first semester of college.

I would go on to get my Bachelor’s degree in Education, teach 4th grade for four years, meet and marry my incredible husband, Dave, and spend two years trying to add a baby to the mix.

We are coming up on the 6 month anniversary of that fateful day I walked into the lawyer’s office to turn in our adoption application papers.

I can just see God smiling from Heaven on that day. He knew exactly what I was walking into. He had also seen every tear shed and been an intricate part of all the disappointments.

One that day, He knew it was time to turn our mourning into dancing, our tears into joy.

It was time.

It was time for a precious little girl to enter our lives and our hearts forever.

Scroll back up and look at that precious little face. When I look at her and she looks at me and smiles, it is almost like she knows.

It’s like she knows she is very special and very loved.

It’s like she knows her very life, even at only 4 months old, is a huge testimony to the everlasting faithfulness of our God.

I love this time of year with fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching. This year, for obvious reasons is going to be extra special.

Last year this time I was facing surgery to remove endometriosis. Then we’d go through the hugest disappointment yet with the canceled IVF cycle.

But now looking back on those events from a year ago, I can plainly see those days were just stepping stones to the miracle of Little Bug.

We had to endure the pain and heartache of those days to be able to one day see this smiling face:

I’m glad those days are in the past now, but I pray the lessons learned stay on the forefront of my mind for a lifetime.

- Elaine