We have our first week at home behind us and are happy to say it went well. I know Wyatt is wearing a pink helmet, but we have been, after all, a family of females up to now and some things are naturally passed down. I also had to include the redneck shot of the week. Don't worry Mom, he couldn't start it. :-)
We know that we are so blessed: blessed to know such wonderful friends and family, blessed to have giving and sweet children, and blessed to receive our son and watch him grow, learn, give high fives and bear hugs and absorb what it means to be part of a forever family. He is doing very well with this transition as are our other children. There have been some interesting moments along the way, but they are far outweighed by the joy of knowing Wyatt as a part of our family.
Watching Wyatt run down the stairs after Anna and Abbie to tell Daddy goodnight chokes me up. Seeing Wyatt laughing at Abbie's "car dancing" in my rear view mirror puts a song in my heart. Seeing Anna exchanging sweet smiles with Wyatt is a sterling moment. All are greater than any personal accomplishment in their vibrant richness of color.
This has been a week of firsts for Wyatt. He has learned that food on the table is to be shared even if one throws a tantrum to get all of the sweet corn. He has learned that house plants are very chewy and not that tasty. He has learned to sing the "pick up" song during our 10 minute dash pick up time each evening. He has learned that Baba goes to work every day and though we miss him, he does return home. He's learned he has lots of family and friends. He has learned that Mom is more stubborn that he is so he might as well give in and do what I want him to do. He has learned that banging his head on the floor does not get him what he wants or any extra attention (after being moved to a soft place). He's learned that no matter what, good or bad, there's lots of affection and love and we're all in this together.
My thoughts have gelled over the past week about our trip to China and the people we met along the way. First I want to say that our travel companion family was a key factor in the joy and success of our journey. We enjoyed our guides and felt cared for, but our travel companions wove many beautiful colors into the fabric of our journey that we will never forget. They taught us lessons, they shared deep moments and they sought joy and God's provision at every opportunity. We miss them so much already. Wyatt has asked for them and looks so confused when I ineptly try to explain that they don't live nearby. We also experienced adopted children who were no longer pictures on a waiting child website but were flesh and blood along with their adoptive parents and siblings. It was like witnessing a miracle of creation...the creating of families, the creating of relationship where there had been none and the beginning of legacies for future generations to come. Some of this creating appeared to be a somewhat painful process at times, but mostly it was sweet with an aroma of God's grace surrounding it. We met Chinese Christians who long for the freedom to home school their children. One person longed to come to America for the freedom to home educate his son, to teach him creativity and Christian principles and broaden his horizons. We met Chinese Christians who glowed with an inner beauty of light and love that was remarkable and very apparent. We met young women who had many layers to their personalities as they tried to appear to be one thing by day, but we sadly surmised, were required to be another thing at other times.
We laughed a lot, we cried some and we chose to wait in faith. We chose peace as your prayers lifted us up. We learned to lay down our rights, to be stripped to the necessity of trusting God for every step of the path and learning the sweetness of letting all go as we run the race to the finish. In picking our former duties and patterns back up, we approach them with new insight and an increased desire that we would please God in every moment by living through Him and not in our own strength to our own ends. Habits of self reliance and worry are hard to break but we've tasted "freedom" in helplessness and total reliance on Him and know that's where joy and peace lies. I watch my growing family and my heart swells with gratitude, praise, joy and contentment. Our family is complete....for today ;-)
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