(posted by rachel)
It is hard to believe that the start of our crazy adoption adventures beginning in Bogota, Colombia almost a decade ago has landed us here. I have two children preparing to drive. Four awkward middle-schoolers. A pretty little fourth grader. And a three year old who started as a frozen emby and currently runs the house. And all of this was accomplished in eight short years. Crazy. Exhausting. Frustrating at times. And I wouldn’t change a single moment. A single decision. A single opportunity.
In searching my blog archives today for an upcoming adoption book series, I was overcome with emotion. Honestly, I had forgotten half of what was written and I was so grateful for the efforts put into this project from the beginning. It has preserved memories and fostered relationships that will last past a lifetime. A part of those efforts are not mine alone, but yours…comments and support from readers, fellow adoptive parents, amazing family, and awesome friends. The interactions from the blog have brought me lasting friendships with others who have walked this path. I value their thoughts and opinions. They have helped shape my adoption and parenting experience over the years. I just love them all!
The blog comments stand collectively as a preservation of my circle of influence from that time period. I love this so much! It’s a history of the people who supported us, loved us, and were present in our lives during a most significant moment in time.
It is just so cool. And my children will always have that as a historical witness to how much they were loved…even before they came here. I was in tears on the phone tonight with Adam. Waxing nostalgic, as usual. We are entering a new chapter in our lives. A new decade. A new house. A new way to help others who have adopted, want to adopt, and those that love them. It’s kind of surreal to think of where we started and where we are now. It’s gone so fast. A blink, really. And yet, that day in Colombia when four little strangers became ours seems like a lifetime ago. Sometimes I even forget that it happened ’cause they are just ours. And I wouldn’t change it, ever.
Here is to new adventures. New ways of reaching out. New ways of loving and connecting. And perhaps a new adoption still. 🙂
It is not the years in your life, but the life in your years!