Support

Wow. Just wow. That's been our response time and again to the tremendous amount of support and encouragement we've gotten.

It's amazing. It's so heartwarming and uplifting. Wow.

From family members who have offered to loan us money and some who have just given it to us, to acquaintances who have gifted it and supported our fundraising website, the financial help is so so appreciated. We also received so many comments from people telling us how excited they are for us, and how they're praying for us, and supporting us in ways big and small.

For every time I feel defeated I think back on the circle of people who are cheering us on, and the tears in my eyes change from tears of frustration to tears of gratitude.

It's amazing.

I've said many times that the past year and a half has been a mixed blessing. Of course our path would have been a lot easier if Joe and I could've just gotten pregnant the second we decided we wanted to be parents, but that just wasn't how our story plays out. And it was frustrating and hard at times...but ultimately I think there were positive things that came from the experience. I think Joe and I are closer than ever. I learned so much about his decision making process, and how better to communicate with him. Sure, we would've been fine without these hard-learned lessons...but then again, maybe not. Our life is going to be full of tough situations, far worse than this one, and now I know we're that much more prepared to weather those storms.

The same is true of this adoption process. Would I have preferred to come into it with our money tree in full bloom? Duh. But part of life is the process, the struggles, the frustrations....because without them we wouldn't appreciate the rest. It can be easy to overlook.

So consider me counting my blessings. And I count the people in my life at the top of that list.

-Melissa