We spent Friday afternoon/evening putting up and decorating our Christmas tree.
We do this each year and end the day watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by the glow of the tree lights, while munching on cookies and drinking hot chocolate.
The girls love helping with the tree and each year look forward to hanging their ornaments that we have been collecting since they were born. (When they are all married and have their own trees, mine will be so empty!)
I usually hand out the ornaments and Billie assists with the hanging, to avoid the "cluster" effect.
As I watched my girls do something that is so normal to them, my thoughts drifted to the daughter that I've not had the privilege to meet yet.
What will she think of this tradition that we have? Will she approach it by jumping in with both feet, or will she hang back to see what happens?
Will she even be old enough to realize what we are doing? Or will she be so young that she just merges into this part of our family like she will merge into so many other aspects of our family life? Just as a newborn biological child just "picks up" these things that we do as a family.
Then I started thinking about the fact that we could have her home by next Christmas.
Wow.
That's an exhilarating and terrifying thought all at the same time.
What a blessing for Billie and I to have one more daughter to love and teach about the greatest Love of all.
What a blessing for our girls to have one more sister to share a room with...laugh with...play with...fight with...and love.
What a blessing for our family to have one more daughter with which to share the true meaning of Christmas.
This season, I am so thankful for this journey that the Lord has brought us on. It hasn't been without its bumps in the road.
But because of those bumps we will be even more grateful when we reach our destination.
