Our Empty Chair

We have had this table and chair set for probably about five years now. It has always had six chairs. For a while, we had two of the chairs at the bar and four chairs at the table, so we didn't seem to have an "empty" chair. And, for a while, we had one in a high chair, so we knew that eventually another one of the chairs would be taken up. But, for the nearly two years that we've lived in this house, we have had all six chairs at the table, and it wasn't until LB pointed out that we have an empty chair that it truly felt empty. When we all gather together for dinner, just as we have most every night for years, there is now something missing. We have a VERY empty chair at our table. Surprisingly enough, we also have an empty seat in our van. And although space is already tight in the girls' tiny bedrooms, there is someone who is all alone. Our family is "odd," and I can't wait to make it "even." I can't wait until we, the mommy and daddy, can have a child holding each of our hands, or one on each side of us when we're snuggling up to watch movies. I can't wait to be complete.

So, what's next you ask? We're not jumping into anything too quickly considering D is just around the corner from major surgery at this point. We are scheduled for a "webinar" with Holt International on February 11, 2010, if D is feeling up to it. He has made it very clear that he wants to take the appropriate amount of time to heal before diving into this, and I completely understand. In the meantime, my wheels are turning trying to come up with ways to raise enough money to cover the costs of international adoption, but I'm not worried. We are being obedient, and God will provide. I'm just praying that He will provide more than enough so that we can bless the orphanage when they hand our child over to us. We want them to have more than they need to love and care for the other babies until they get to go to their "forever" home too.