a simple prayer.

i was walking down the street on my way to finish up some christmas shopping and the words came out before i could process the weight of them.

 i started to pray.

and the prayer went a little something like this...
"God, i thank you for the child we are going to adopt someday. please bring them to us, whenever the time comes, safely. prepare us now to be good parents for them, whoever they are."

for the first time i put into words a dream i've had for as long as i can remember.
and with that prayer it became real.
because after meeting mia, my heart didn't have many other options.

i met mia through blogging years ago and have since learned about her journey.
she grew up in a chinese orphanage and now lives in seattle as an international student.

i was so fortunate to meet her for coffee while she was visiting a friend in denver over the holidays.

we talked about china and orphanages and adoption and i heard more of her story and the amazing strength and perseverance that has brought her to this point.

i have to tell you, i left that coffee shop more convinced than i've ever been that we will someday adopt a child from china.
we want to give a child like mia the opportunity to be loved and known and unconditionally accepted by a family.

the process has yet to begin, and i have no idea when it will.
i also know that it will probably be one of the most difficult journeys we could take.
i may not know much about adoption, but i do know the process can be grueling, the financial cost can be overwhelming, and the time frame never ending.

but...
i know that with that prayer our child became real, at least to me.
with that prayer i entrusted to God a dream that seems bigger than us.
with that small, scary, whispered prayer i saw a glimpse into the future that He is creating.

and i continued in the lifelong journey known as "trust."

p.s. in totally unrelated news, i have a new blog design. 

whoop, whoop! 

thanks to my friend sharon, her incredible design skills, and exorbitant amount of patience this little space got spruced up a bit.

i hope you like it as much as i do.