more encouragement...

As I finished "Kisses from Katie," (my now favorite book :), I read an excerpt that just belonged in my blog. This young woman somehow can take my innermost thoughts and feelings about this adoption process (that I was not even aware of yet) and put them into words that motivate me to an unspeakable level. I marvel at her wisdom but most of all her faith. She is able to take every circumstance and see God's hand in it...and to believe that he is in control and that he will bring good from each and every situation! Truly inspiring!

This last week Ange-Laurette had a complete turn-around, likely brought about from the much-anticipated onset of puberty. (Boy, would she ever love that her mom "blogged" that piece of information! :) Ange-Laurette had been basically "glum" for two months, and we were concerned about what we saw as a significant set-back. Her eyes were empty of feeling and the warm fuzzies were no where to be seen, even over Christmas and her birthday. The road ahead looked so long. It was one of those valleys we are sure many parents of ANY child experience at one stage or another. No fun, that is for sure.

Then the morning came that all young girls dread...but she was actually so proud to share the news. She said with a smile, "Don't worry, Mom. I know just what to do. You told me everything." Every day since she has been like a new child...or at least one that we hadn't seen in awhile. She greets us and laughs and listens and sings to herself...and even dances in her room again. When the Bible says that God knows every detail, He is not kidding! I am so grateful that he heard the prayers of Bruce and me...as we begged for a sign of hope or that sense of peace. It arrived...just at the perfect time. Looking back...he ALWAYS does that.

Each and every time that we go through a bump in the road, in the adoption process but also in many other aspects of our lives, we have the chance to see God at work. More than that, we have the chance to make it to the other side and to see him in all his glory. And every time, we are grateful for the experience, no matter how hard. So, this is how the author sums that up:

"Sometimes God and I come out into a desert and he has to carry me through that too. Sometimes I slip a lot on the way out and He has to keep coming back to get me. Always, on the other side is something beautiful, because He has used the hard place to increase my sense of urgency and to align my desires with His. I realize that it was there that He was closest to me, even in the times when I didn't see Him. I realize that the hard places are good because it is there that I gained more wisdom, and though with wisdom comes sorrow, on the other side of sorrow is joy."