Day 13: Life is Not a Fairytale

You know when you were a little child and every story ends in happily ever after?

Well that is not reality.  Reality is what happens AFTER the happy event.

I don’t want to come off upset, or unhappy–I’m NOT any of those things.

I am new mom who is living in this new reality that has a lot of happy, some frustration, and some aggravation.
That is reality.

Adopting older children is not for the faint of heart.  We certainly did not believe this would be easy–we KNOW better.

Life is about what we expected.  Ups and downs.  Give and take.  Picking and choosing.

Imagine this:  You are at Disney World on Day 13 and you can’t communicate effectively with 2 out of the 6 people on your trip.  You are getting tired of all the rides, and if you have to eat anymore fast food you think you will die.  Can you imagine that?  That’s kind of where I am.

We ARE in a fantasy world right now.  We are in 5 star hotels and I’m sure our new children think that their parents are going to continue this fun and adventure for the rest of their life.

SO while the adventure has been fun, I’m ready for a dose of real living.  In our middle class neighborhood, with all my kiddos under the same roof, home cooked meals and my very own pillow in my bed.

Okay–that was my REAL MOMENT.

Now I will tell all the things I am grateful for:

1–I am grateful for  my husband–he has been such a rock these past two weeks.  He helps keep me grounded.

2–I am grateful for adjoining rooms this week, so much better this week with everyone together.

3–I am grateful to all of the folks helping with our big guys at home–thank you SO MUCH!

4–I am grateful for sleep.  Believe it or not I am getting more sleep on this trip than I ever do at our home in the U.S.

5– I am grateful for drinkable water.  Believe it or not that is the one thing I always miss on a trip out of the country.

6–I am grateful for computer service and skype.  We got to talk to our guys this morning.

7–I am grateful for a washing machine and dryer.  We have been handwashing our clothes and drying them in our room everyday.  (I’ve decided I would be grateful for a turn of the century wringer if I had to do this all of the time.) LOL!

8–I am grateful for our guide who is working hard on getting a paperwork mistake fixed.  She’s doing a great job.

9–I am grateful for adoptive families who are making forever homes for children all over the world.

10–Most of all, I am grateful to God for making this adoption possible and who gives us the strength to keep going when we get tired.

P.S. from Ben

11 — I am thankful for a wonderful Godly wife who puts the cares and concerns of others before herself.

12 — I am grateful for tonight’s bedtime routine — it was a slight struggle but I think the most peaceful we have had in over a week.

13 — I am thankful for a wonderful couple we have met that are adopting from Fuzhou too.  We have so many things in common even though they are from a state in the U.S. about as far away from us as they can be (Washington State).

14 — I am thankful to have had SongYan with me and Zach yesterday when we took a Taxi to KFC for am American Grease run — we wouldn’t have gotten a Taxi back without her.  Our friends that we met here ended up having to walk home from KFC after they couldn’t get a Taxi back the same evening.

15 — I am very thankful for God granting me a glimpse of the country and people through His eyes.  There have already been some things that He has shown us on this trip that we never expected to see and know He has other things for us to see here.  This is a country with wonderful people, culture, and history and millions of people that God loves so much.

16 — I am grateful for our church (VBC) and all of the other churches and individuals that are praying for us as we continue on this journey.

In the midst of your difficulty never forget to take a moment and be thankful for the great things God has provided you and never take them lightly.

End P.S. from Ben

Here are a few pics of our day at Panda World.

Have a great Day!!  What are you grateful for?