A Great Day!

Today was a great day. I was greeted by friends and colleagues who gushed about their holidays and told stories about the joy their children had on Christmas. They acted as if it had been years since we had seen each other instead of weeks. All of this fellowship helped me keep my mind off the fact that I was at work while my sweetheart was catching up with her grandparents. Then after a short time a colleague and I traveled to another school for a special in-service training on how to use our new projectors and think pad smart boards. Can you say Merry Christmas all over again. I can't wait to use it in my classroom. I have so many ideas. This little detour also helped keep my mind focused on work and kept me from crying. I was missing her like crazy if you can't tell. Its amazing how your outlook on life changes. Before her, life was so different. I never expected to feel this way. I don't now what I was expecting but this is so much better than I ever imagined. She turned 18 months old today. Happy 18 months baby girl. You have made me the happiest Momma on Earth. You are such a blessing to us all.

We got a crash-course training from a teacher at another school on how to use our new equipment. He seems to be really technology savvy and I'm sure will help us with this new endeavor. He introduced himself and told a wonderful story about how he became a teacher. I'll give a shot at telling his story..... He and his wife traveled for a month long mission trip to Guatemala, leaving behind their infant daughter in the states. To make a long story short, they fell in love with the country and its people and decided to move there. They took their daughter with them to their new apartment in Guatemala. They served as dorm parents to a home for girls and he also became a teacher in the school close by. They were expecting another baby during this time but unfortunately suffered a miscarriage and were told that they would not likely be pregnant ever again. In the meantime, the girls were allowed to go home on weekend passes once a month to visit their families. The way he explained it to me was that most of the parents still wanted their children but they could not afford to feed and care for them so they were taken in by these homes. He and his wife noticed that on the weekend visitations that there were a few girls who were never visited. One little girl captured their attention and later their hearts. He said the took her to the zoo and spent time with her in the city. One particular weekend she became ill so they took care of her and let her stay with them. He said that the next time they had a weekend pass she showed up at their apartment and practically refused to be anywhere but with them. This went on for 6 mos. and then they returned for a month visit to the U.S. He said they couldn't stand being apart from her and knowing that they were not likely going to have more biological children they decided to adopt her. By this time, she was around 7 or 8 yrs. old. They talked to her about the meaning of adoption and explained that she would be there child forever and they started the process. Here's a twist. After a few months she was talking to them and said I know that you are going to keep me forever but what about my brother.... where will he go? Brother... they knew nothing about a brother. They contacted some people only to find out that she had a biological brother in a nearby orphanage. Guess what? You're right.... they adopted him to. So now their family had grown from one child to 3 in less than a year. That's not all..... they decided to return home to the U.S. to complete the adoption process and due to their relationship with the system were able to bring the children home before everything was official. In the meantime, they were blessed with another biological daughter to complete their family. Man, doesn't God have a sense of humor. According their dad, all the children are thriving and at grade level according to U.S. standards. I know I did not do justice in telling the story and I was ambiguous with some of the details because I do not want their names out there but I felt the need to share their story. I have many friends who have adopted children and have cousins and a niece who are adopted so I am intrigued when I hear a happy adoption story.