Reflective Wednesday

A year ago we gathered to celebrate my friend's adoption.

We gathered in anticipation of his arrival to the U.S.

She waited....

October blew in with her fiery leaves and the always unexpected heat.

November came with her gobble-gobble and famous familial gatherings.

December jingled in and counted down her new year.

And she waited....

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, and September.

And she waited.

Aching.

Praying.

And in the midst of it all, a quiet flutter of t r u s t.

Trust when circumstances looked grim.

Trust when faith wained but the Savior breathed prayers for His beloved.

Trust when the night was cold and dark, but the flickering lights scattered across the sky told of a perfect plan and purpose, designed with loving care.

Yes, even in the suffering. Yes, even in the questions. Yes, even in the weariness.

October fluttered in again with the leaves she hoped told of one season's end and another's beginning. And with it the news.

Finally.

Hope deferred now hope fulfilled.

The aching longing, the grueling inbox checks, the unbearable days of no words, and no foreseeable end. Turning a new leaf...

It is said the longer the wait, the sweeter the j o y.

October is turning out to be quite a treat.