It was an unusually beautiful morning! I awoke by about 6am, pulled on my sweats and happened into the kitchen for a cup of something deliciously warm and yummy while watching the sunrise in my favorite adidrondack chair! The air was crisper, cleaner, fresher this morning than any other. The birds were animated singing back and forth to one another. The salty air was surprisingly refreshing. All were still sleeping soundly in their beds. The clock ticked and tocked allowing me a few more hours of time...time to reflect, remember and pray!
I knew this day was different ~ unlike any I had ever experienced before. One I dreamed about, wished for and thought countless minutes, hours, weeks, months about. It was bittersweet, as before me lay a path that I was destined to walk down, a path that I had never walked before, one that I was sure was filled with surprise, joy, love, life... Today I was going to receive some news...good news...great news...life changing news! There sat a nauseating pit in the bottom of my stomach, compliments of anxiety and nerves, fear and uncertainty. My 'pit" had 2 names! The 1st ~ I was going to meet my daughter for the first time - though not face to face but photo to face and for me that was enough (at least for now). The 2nd ~ just 5 days earlier we were escorted onto a roller coaster, one with rises and falls, dips and turns and loop-d-loops that we were not prepared to ride, one which we could not see the end of...it was the roller coaster of being laid off, of unemployment!
The emotions I felt were complex and complicated as you can see. Nonetheless, it was 1 year ago today that I sat scribbling as fast as I could while a CCAI representative on the other end of the phone said, "Ruth, is this a good time to talk?" of which I replied, "Umm, let me think about that ~ you know I am on vacation and so I'm just not sure I can take this call right now. DUH!!!! Of course I can take this call, I've only been waiting 924 days for this."
And well... the rest is history. Below is my actual post from a year ago.
Well after 924 days of waiting, we are insanely overjoyed to announce the arrival of:
Xiu Hua Qiu
Abigail (middle name TBD) Webb
Date of birth: September 24, 2007
Location: Xiushan Tujia & Miao Autonomous County Social Welfare Institute in
9 comments:
Happy Anniversary Day! I love reading the stories from our travel group of this day. The anticipation...I would have been a mess! Abigail is precious as ever! That referral photo...priceless.
It's impossible that it's been a year already!
A year ago. It's not possible :)
What a blessing each of us received on this day. And I tell you this in all truth... not only were we blessed with Alyzabeth An, we were also blessed to have your family become a very special, very important part of our Forever Family.
What a fantastic group of people we came to know and love!
Enjoy this, our shared special day!
peace
fm
"Happy 1 Year Anniversary of Referral Day"!
Enjoy!!
Savannah sends big hugs for Abigail!
Melinda
I just can't seem to stop crying... so much was going on leading up to that "referral" day. Your family had such bad news and then this special day came.....
We are so blessed! Love your post, we must meet like this every year... until we meet in person again someday.
Happy Referral Anniversary Day!
Alyzabeth's Mommy for Almost Eleven Months!
So fun to read your post and reflect with you. Ruth, thank you so much for your post on our blog. We did find the photo of Danika on the LWB report (before we even had Danika!). We contacted LWB and they sent us the photo and several others we had never seen after we arrived home, so be sure to contact them to get more photos of Abigail!
Your blog and your family are beautiful and it was fun to read. I'd love to stay in touch as a fellow Xiushan mom...Danika and Abigail would have been together in the orphanage and Abigail is just a month and 2 days older than Danika. I'll look through my Xiushan photos and see if I have any of Danika with Abigail!
Abigail is adorable and precious, congratulations!
Blessings to you and yours!
Karen, Dan and Danika
Ruth,
Can you send your email address to me at dankarenherman at gmail dot com and I'll send you the Xiushan Orphanage photos I have with other children in them...I only have two with other kids but I think there is a possibility one of the kids might be Abigail!!
Karen
It seems like so long ago, but only a year and look at what a year it's been. She is the perfect little girl for your family and has blossomed! I love my Ab-bee-gail.
Amazing to see how God has held you and walked with you through this journey.
I am blessed I met you and that you have allowed us into this journey with you.
You are a blessing
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