Photo provided courtesy of a Google search.
When I was a child, I loved to roller blade. My aunt and I skated nearly every day in the summer, and I made up dance routines in my skates to Martina McBride for school talent shows. (Did I mention that I've always been SUPER cool?) Prior to becoming an expert child skater, my parents had to teach me how to maneuver in these awkward, rolling shoes. It's easy to recall my mother strapping pads to my knees, elbows, and wrists. We would then argue regarding the necessity of wearing a helmet - a battle she always chose and always won. I proceeded to attempt to control my wobbly, uncoordinated body as I rolled/fumbled to the sidewalk that led to the desired hill. If I could make it to the hill, I figured I was in the clear. No skating was needed at that point because all that would then be required was coasting skills. I could do that on my bike, so no problem! Slow but steady progress was made towards the hill, occasionally becoming unbalanced due to cracks in the sidewalk; however, more rolling occurred and no falls were experienced. My unwavering confidence grew and was as big as the ginormous mountain (aka. hill) once I reached the top. My wheels slowly began to roll down the hill, gaining momentum as they traveled down the sloped surface. Soon I felt like I was flying! No one could stop me now..... that is until my wheels hit a boulder (aka. pebble) in the middle of the sidewalk. I was in no way equipped to avoid the rough terrain, and I took a tumble. This occurred approximately 3 more times down the one hill, each time gaining more momentum as my wheels hit the pavement.
I tell you all of this to say, the journey of adoption is a lot like learning to maneuver your body on a pair of skates. From the initial application until now, we have been rolling down the hill, gaining momentum, and hitting rocks along the way that halt us in our tracks. Unfortunately, we have had doctors turn us away because we were only 13 minutes early instead of the desired 15 minutes early that was never communicated, notarized a ton of documents ($35-$55 per transaction) all at different times due to not being provided with all of the needed paperwork, others have consistently ignored e-mails, documents have been sent to incorrect addresses, and professionals cancel visits due to sickness and vacation.
The good new is that we are well equipped with supportive family and friends to be our padding when we fall. You ask about our children on a regular basis, and you lift them up in prayer. You send encouraging notes and you give us your full change jars. You gave us Mother's and Father's Day cards, and you have hugged us on bad days. You requests updates on the process and when there hasn't been any progress, you have cheered us on.
We are happy to report that our home study is almost complete. All paperwork has been turned in and our third (out of four) visit is planned for this Wednesday, June 8th. When this is completed, the next step is completing our dossier. We will continue to read the required education material and compile the needed documents to present to India.
Our adoption fund has grown, and we are over 1/3 of a way to our goal! We couldn't be more ecstatic. Thank you for your love and generosity in helping to bring our children home. We will continue to keep you updated as we continue in our journey.
Love and blessings,
Jordan
