This is why we do what we do...

Sarsina and Filemon Joshua in Ethiopia Feb 2008

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Good news from Ellerbeeville!

Sarsina is home! The Cake family, a fellow Hope family, is home with their new daughter, who just happens to be my new niece... Josh and Jameson's cousin from Ethiopia. We had the pleasure of meeting this young lady while in Ethiopia. We have prayed for her since we met her in February 2008. She is now adopted and is now in the United States. Her family is absolutely awesome, and we are thrilled for all of them. At the tender age of 14, she was adopted just in time.

As we watched the video slideshow of their trip to Ethiopia, my oft times stand-offish son climbed into my lap and held onto my neck like he's never done before. I know that he is so happy to know that she is here. They were very close. I think his excitement for her adoption made him realize how much he wanted to be adopted... and how lucky he is.

I know I gripe and complain about the pouting. I get discouraged and annoyed easily. I worry about attachment issues. I air my dirty laundry on public blogs. But I think deep down we all know how lucky we all are to have each other. It sometimes takes these little moments for all of us to realize it. I realize how much I love them more day after day.

Watching him talk to her on the phone has been a magical moment. I listen to him sputter in Amharic, seemingly remembering the language without so much as a pause, then he grabs the Amharic to English dictionary to look up a word. When we ask him what he's forgotten, he laughs as he says, "Everything!" His face is glowing. He is happy. Jameson, who has forgotten much of her Amharic, or pretends to have forgotten her Amharic, just sits on the phone and giggles.

And so, when I think of Sarsina, Josh, and Jameson, and I think about the life they would have had if they had not been adopted, I also think about how much we would be missing out on if they weren't in our lives. I realize that this is why we do what we do. This is why we are and should be more so, advocates for older child adoption. It's more magical than Disneyworld.