Not to be Missed

September 27, 2010--9th anniversary--
Holding an anniversary cake made and decorated by their three younger sisters
who were adopted from the same region 3-1/2 years later

Zhuvkaka Orphanage, Bryansk, Russia--July 2001
Just minutes after first meeting them
(Cassandra, 7; Speedy, 5; Jaynie, 8)

Jaynie, Cassandra and Speedy,

With all the excitement in our home over last week's news that we have a court date in Russia in late October and all the flurry of busyness in our home as we prepare to travel to that country in two weeks, it would be easy for the anniversary of your adoption to slip by barely noticed.

We want, however, to take the opportunity to declare--before the watching world--that we are so glad you are our children. We are so glad the Lord moved in our hearts to adopt--and to adopt older children--when it was the very last thing we thought we'd ever do. We are deeply honored to be your parents.

We have made more mistakes in our parenting of you than we could count if we started now and continued until the day of our demise. Yet despite our selfishness and unforgiveness and anger and impatience, you have forgiven us and you have honored us and you have loved us.

You are such happy teens and such helpful teens. You brighten our family. You brighten our church. You brighten our community. You are such a blessing. We thank God for you. You are truly a gift.

With forever love,
Dad and Mom

By the way, some of you may have wondered why this ninth anniversary has been mentioned repeatedly on our blog. After all, nine is hardly a round number.

One of the realities of adopting an older child is that the event has an enormous impact on the family. There are times when it is really, really HARD, in addition to times of pure joy. As a result of the depth of the impact, our gratitude to God for getting us through each successive day is that much greater and each anniversary becomes an opportunity to look back and rejoice in His goodness and overflowing lovingkindness in both the gift of the children and the ability to be a family.