Miracles

Dear Life,

Do you believe in miracles?  
I do.
I have for years.
First watching "Little" (Kumaka) as he navigates boy hood full force.

Remembering the baby years....the multiple shunt revisions...the casts for months on end (that lasted for years)...the surgery after surgery to correct feet....and then hips....and then broken bones....the ongoing infections.

I never in a million years would have imagined Kumaka to be this active....this happy....this....BOY LIKE.  

There is not a "can't do" moment....it's a how can I attitude. 

The last few years have been truly miraculous to watch and given us much joy.

Then, we embarked on the adoption journey.

Did we have the necessary funding in our account just waiting?
No.
But Sofi was waiting.
And we determined that she would wait no more for someone to be her family.
We fell in love with her....and decided that we would do whatever it took to bring her home.

And we did.
Everything we could think of.
Cupcake days, shoe drives, clothing drives, pizza days, jewelry giveaways, TV Raffles, Helmet Raffles, etc etc etc.

We have driven to Los Angeles more times than we can count to get paperwork taken care of.  We have cried, laughed, and prayed harder than ever.

And then our court date happened.

We didn't get a "Now she's yours moment".
We got a continuance.
We needed current fingerprint clearances from the FBI.  
At the time we needed them, our government was shut down. So we got state clearances and prayed they would work.
They didn't.

SO....the day we had court and didn't pass, Stuart and I rushed to the police station to get our fingerprints done.  I then rushed to get money orders and had them sent next day to the FBI.  

When I knew the received them I called to beg for them to expedite.  
Normally fingerprint clearances take 6-8 weeks.
I didn't have that kind of time.
We begged, my agency begged, and we found someone to do them.
They sent them out on December 24th.

BUT they sent them to the wrong place.
So yesterday and today we have been in a panic trying to figure what to do.
Right when my  head bowed, and my tears flowed, because Sofi's fate was to be put in the hands of the judge....again...
God stepped in.
The documents were found.  My money orders were found.
The State Department is helping us by expediting our paperwork.  
They will get there in time.
By a hair.  
That's all we need.

Yes, I believe in miracles.  
I believe in people.
Because throughout this journey, I have witnessed the goodness of people all over this world.  

I am a better person because of this journey.

Miracles are real.  
You just have to believe.