Fingerprints

We're moving right along.  We received our Fingerprint Appointment Notice from USCIS today--September 16.  My heart floods with joy every time there is evidence progress toward our beloveds.  Getting fingerprinted is somewhat bothersome since we must both appear in Hartford, at 2pm, on a work day, when we know that the USCIS has our fingerprints on file since just over a year ago, and we've already paid the hefty fingerprinting fee once before.  But the hassle doesn't even feel like a bother since it's what we must do to (someday soon) become mother and father to our precious children.  Easy.  In fact, the more of these little tasks we accomplish, the nearer we are and the more anticipation we feel.  James mentioned the the other day how his arms and heart ache to hold our children.  That reality is closer than it has ever been.  

Tonight at our Tuesday night small group meeting we began our Bible study with an ice-breaker question as usual.  This week's was, "If you could have dinner with any person living in the World today, who would it be?"  As I fumbled to pull out a compelling celebrity name, Christina rescued me from my floundering and came up with an answer that saw straight to my heart--my children.  Not a singer, a politician, an actor or talk-show host.  Nope.  The people I most desire to sit around a table with are probably 4500 miles from New Haven, but couldn't be nearer to my heart because they are my babies.  There's nothing I desire more than to have them close enough to share a meal with.  

As I begin a new school year this week, I have the continual impression that this is the school year during which everything will change for our family.  Lord willing, this will be the year we become parents.  Though the wait has been long (and may be longer still), I am encouraged in my heart and by so many friends, that the time has never been nearer.  We feel like we've been waiting for our children forever.  Indeed, it has been around 3 years since we started on this journey with dreams and questions and plans.  (That's a long pregnancy!)  But we are not weary yet.  We have just enough patience to get us through to the next milestone and enough hope to keep going no matter what.