Attitude of Gratitude (even during times of waiting)

Everyone, hello! I am back from Haiti. Trying to settle back into my life in OKC. Yeah.

Thanks to everyone who prayed and sent their thoughts while I was in Haiti. It was a great and rewarding experience. I truly miss my kids. This past Wednesday night at Victory Church (www.vc.tv), we had our fourth adult worship recording. During it, they showed video footage from Haiti. Yep, it sent me to crying all over again. I didn't realize how much I miss everyone there.

On the adoption front, I looked over the list this morning of those waiting for an infant girl from Ethiopia. It appears that I am #15 or #16 on the list (two of us submitted our dossier on the same day). There have been some transitions taking place in the America World offices. My current family coordinator and her family are moving to Ethiopia to work in country, which should better the process there. Also, the adoption fees have increased to assist the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Ethiopia with processing paperwork better and quicker, plus a few other fees in order to better the program, plus to catch up with inflation.

All in all, things are good in my world. I am having success with my Fall Adoption Fundraiser. Every little bit on income helps with adoption expenses - that's for sure.

If I don't write again before Thanksgiving, I hope you have a wonderful time with your families. Remember that "gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow" (Melody Beattie).