Tomorrow will mark the one year anniversary of the day we got the call that changed our lives. Tuesday will make one year ago that Sarah came home. In one way, it seems so fast while in another, it seems like she's been with us for years.
I've thought a lot this week about where we were a year ago. At this time a year ago, we were still a family of three. We didn't know if or when we'd ever be a family of four. I imagine our plans for the upcoming weekend included celebrating Jon's 32nd birthday, attending a gospel singing on Friday night and who knows what else. We had no idea what was in store.
We went to the singing on Friday night not knowing that before we left, we would receive the call that would change our lives forever. I still get teary eyed just thinking about how with that one phone call, three years of waiting, praying, hoping, crying, questioning, and wondering came to an end. Well, let's me honest - the crying was far from over but now it's happy tears.
I remember standing in that church parking lot and listening to Susan tell us all about this little girl. I remember feeling like it wasn't really happening. I think sometimes when you've waited for something so long, it's hard to believe it when it finally does happen.
Sunday morning, May 17th, we were supposed to wait for a call to leave home but we couldn't wait and finally started out on faith. We stopped at a tool shop somewhere on the way, but realized we didn't have cell phone service so left pretty quickly. We finally stopped at a flea market and about as soon as we walked in the door, my phone rang. It was Rick, our attorney, telling us that she was being released from the hospital and we could take her home.
After killing a little time at the flea market, we met Rick and Susan at the hospital. Before we were introduced to her, they dressed her with an outfit that said, "I was worth the wait." Oh how true that was. We dressed in the all too familiar NICU attire and prepared to meet our daughter. Susan took pictures for us as we met this precious little girl. Those pictures are treasures to me. I'm so thankful to be able to see our faces as we saw our daughter for the first time.
Those first few days felt so surreal. Now, a year later, my heart is still so happy. I'm finally content and feel complete. I can't explain the feeling of having us all together. Completeness is the closest I can come.
To those still waiting, please remember that you never know when your call will come. There were times I was ready to give up. I convinced myself that God wasn't going to give me the desire of my heart. After 3 years, it felt almost too hard to keep going.
Have you seen the picture floating around Facebook of the men digging for treasure and the one guy gives up right before he gets to the treasure? If we would have given up, that would've been us. We were so close - we just couldn't see it.
I think everyone who has adopted and had to wait a long time will tell you it was worth the wait. That isn't downplaying the wait. It's hard. I still say that was one of the hardest things in my life. But on May 17, 2015, every single day became worth it. That's not an exaggeration or figure of speech. It's the truth.
