Levels of Emotion

One of the 'benefits' of international adoption taking so long, is that we have much more time to mentally prepare for the arrival of Jeremiah than the traditional 9 month pregnancy. As we go into our 22nd month of the process, our emotions have been all over place. Many of our emotions have included (in no particular order): hope, concern, frustration, love, suspense, peace, excitement, and anticipation.

We have hope in the program and pray that our decisions are God-centered.
We have concern over the hundreds of thousands of orphans that so desperately need saved.
We have concern about the care that the orphaned children are receiving.
We have experienced frustration in regard to the delays and red tape involved with international adoption.
We love a little boy that we haven't even met more than we could have ever imagined.
We love that Jeremiah has a beautiful smile and gorgeous eyes.
We love the fact that all of our family and friends are so supportive.
We are full of suspense as we await the moment that we first lay eyes on Jeremiah.
We are at peace with the decision that we have made to adopt and know that it is part of God's plan for our family.
We have a peace that Jeremiah is a healthy, happy baby.
We are so excited about the day that we bring Jeremiah to his forever home.
Not a day goes by that we don't anticipate holding Jeremiah and counting his toes and fingers.

As our emotions continue to flow, so do our prayers. Prayers for the remaining steps to go quickly, for Jeremiah's continued good health, for the caregivers that are taking care of Jeremiah, and for all of the children that are orphaned. If we could, we would help all of the children...but, we know we can't. We just keep telling ourselves, "One can't help everyone, but everyone can help one.".