--1--
November is National Adoption Month! Last year, I wrote a post about promoting adoption and you can find it here. I am encouraged to see that more and more positive stories are being shared about adoption. Just this past week, our state elected a new governor and he is the father of nine, including four adopted children. His story alone has reached thousands of people in our state. Let's hope more families that have been blessed by adoption will continue to show the beauty behind this loving decision.
--2--
Speaking of which, we are still waiting to be matched with a birthmother. Waiting, waiting, waiting. It seems to be what I do best. We have nearly completed the paperwork to update our home study. Again. For the fourth time. It's very depressing, and seeing another year go by has been incredibly heartbreaking. But, quitting has never been my specialty, so onward we go. Maybe this will be our year. Or maybe not. I'm trying to be okay with either outcome, and I find some consolation in knowing that our loss each year has been another waiting family's joy. In some ways, I hope that the waiting will someday be a testament to our adopted child of just how much we loved him or her before they even existed. That would certainly make all of this heartache worth it.
--3--
We had a beautiful autumn here, one of the prettiest that I can remember. I also seem to recall saying that same thing last year! A friend and I were walking today and reflecting on how unique it is to live in the middle of thousands of acres of wilderness. Our little town and community is just a postage stamp in a sea of green, although this past month, it has been a sea of gold, as the oaks and hickories, poplars and maples turned to shades of yellow.
--4--
It was this sea of gold that my son noticed a few days ago, when he asked me "Mom, why aren't the trees green anymore?" I thought about it for a second and replied, "because the leaves are all dying." It struck me at that moment, how, during this month that the church encourages us to remember and pray for the dead, God joins in and paints our landscape with death. And yet, He makes it so breathtakingly beautiful in the process. Surely, there is a lesson there for us.
--5--
We are back into the "Candy Season" now, which lasts pretty much until Lent, it seems, and John couldn't be happier. He and his brother decided to be a pirate and his cat for Halloween, and they came back from trick-or-treating with a pirate's bounty!
--6--
For All Saint's Day, the boys were St. Joseph and St. John Bosco. St. John Bosco was originally going to be St. Damien of Molokai, but when it came time to paint the leprosy on Joah's face, he would have nothing of it (imagine that!). Suggesting to him that I paint "boo boos" all over his face and hands was probably not my smartest parenting move. John chose St. Joseph and was particularly tender with his Baby Jesus. He wants a new baby brother or sister so badly, and it pulled my heartstrings seeing him be so affectionate with his little doll baby. 
--7--
Lastly, we are remembering our own little family of saints this month. Our three babies plus my grandparents are all buried on our family property, so for us, a visit to a cemetery each day this week in order to gain a plenary or partial indulgence has been pretty simple. My children have grown up with these graves in their daily life, and I hope that in some way, it helps them see death as something not to be ignored, feared, or trivialized, but rather, a connection to the ones we love on the other side. They need look no further than our own front yard to be reminded of their eternal destination.  |
| Taking flowers and singing Happy Birthday to our little Francis last month. |
Have a great weekend and thank you, Kelly, for hosting another Quick Takes!
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