If it weren't for the incredible peace that the Lord sends us every time we pray about Anna and look at her pictures, it would seem just as crazy to us as it does to most people, I'm sure.
I'll tell you what, though. Our eleven year old daughter doesn't need to pray to know that Anna is her sister. She has known from day one. Not only does she know that she's her sister, but she knows what Anna is going to mean in her life because of her Down Syndrome. When we're shopping, she wants me to tell the store clerk about Anna. When I'm chatting with people in the neighborhood, she nudges me because she wants me to make sure that they know that we are adopting. There's nothing scary or out-of-the ordinary about adopting a child with special needs, if you ask Sadie. It's as normal as a bowl of Cheerios before school. And she's not a little five-year-old. She's eleven!
She knows how I struggle with this all being "real." The other day, I came home after being gone for a few hours and found this. She had pulled up Anna's picture on the computer and printed two copies and hung them up.
One by my desk
and one on the fridge.
Thanks, Sadie. What would I do without you? You help to make this more real for me. I need this right now while we wait to meet Anna and hold her in our arms. You know what's so cool? If God is willing, Anna is going to soon experience the love of a real sister. Can you imagine that? Incredible.
Oh Heather, I SO know how you feel about this being surreal! I think the very same thing sometimes! I still pray for you and little Anna. I'm so happy that she is coming home!!
ReplyDeleteSadie will be grate sister for Anna! It is wonderful how nicely she talks about Anna and how she seems to be so proud of Anna. It is not that easy for a almost a teenager to axept a sibling with special needs. ( I know it. I have a younger sister who is handicapped )
ReplyDeleteThis little girl will always be in your family and you will get so much gratuitous love from her!
I think that it might be some way easier to have a special needed child adopted than a child with not those needs. Specially when they reach the teenage years they often start getting all kind of problems and wondering where they come from and why their birth parents didnt take care of them etc... It is sometimes really hard to make them belive that you really care and love them.
lots of things to wonder. You´ll do just grate with all of your children!
I sometimes wonder that what did I think about takeing a child all by my self from Thailand. It wasn´t my will but after praying it just felt right. He just came to my life. Sometimes I still wonder why?! It is not always so easy even I love him more than anything.
-sini