The Plan that wasn't mine...

A year ago...

Same place, same time one year later.

I took both of these pictures as the kids walked in to their swim banquet. I remember last year how Selina needed help walking as she was still unsteady on her feet and how she was a little nervous with all the people and how our children were still getting to know each other. I look at them now and my heart is happy. Things are going better than I could have ever expected and with the addition of Kwame... things will only get better...


First off- I wanted to send a huge thank you to all of you that voted for Batman. He did not win but had a very respectable showing according to the radio station.

I think more than anything, TR and I were humbled by all of you that took the time to vote and pass the link on for us. I felt kind of goofy asking people to do so and admitting that winning would really help us out with our airfare but once we did, we received such a warm response. I can't tell you how much it means to us. Thank you so much.

We continue to work on getting Kwame closer to coming home. We have filed the packet of paperwork (I600) that needs to be processed in order to be able to bring him into the country. I am hopeful that it will be approved and sent on to the National Visa Center next week.

We also received word today that Kwame's passport could be completed in the next few days. If it is, that would be the best news yet! These passports have been really unpredictable as I mentioned before so to get the passport would be a huge relief. It would be a blessing.

Summer is wrapping up for our family. It has not been the summer we hoped for as I had pictured having Kwame home by now. I also let the wait get to me more than I would have liked at times. I am grateful to God and to my friends and family for helping me through the last few months. You called me, emailed me and checked in with me when I needed it most and it meant a world of difference to me. I think back to some really tough days and now that I am past them, when I look back, I will remember the way so many of you reached out to me. Thank you.

I do have faith that God has a plan for our family and the timing in which our son is supposed to come home. As it turns out, my plan was not the same as his but I am starting to see the purpose in his plan. While this plan is not what my heart wanted, God is showing me that in so many ways, it makes perfect sense.

Recently, I have had moments of silence now that the sadness and pain I felt earlier this summer are gone. Usually my head runs a thousand miles a minutes with my thoughts and my plans and my wants and my needs. But in those moments with a clear head and an open heart, I have listened. I have started to find the beauty in this new plan that was not mine and I am running with it and I am celebrating it.

We have already been given the greatest gift of all. Kwame is our son. Getting him home will be worked out and from that moment on, we will have a lifetime together. Who could ask for more?