welcome home, will

it’s a place i know well. it’s the place where i’ve watched friend after friend bring children across the threshold from orphan to ours. and it holds a special place in my heart as i, too, walked that same hall last year toward a crowd of welcoming family and friends when we finally arrived home with micah. imagine now how full my heart was today when i once again stood at that familiar airport gate anxiously awaiting the sight of two people i’ve loved for 15 years now…and their son, whom i’ve loved since i first saw his face in a referral picture many months ago.

the wait is hard for adults, but it might be excruciating for children. especially when those children have been without mommy and daddy for two weeks.

but the hard wait turns into an overjoyed delight when one by one little eyes spot the long-awaited passengers…

and a momma whose heart i know almost as well as my own can finally put her arms around the ones she’s missed so much.

as expected, little will held tightly to the familiar as everything that was new swirled around him…

but in a sweet gift that no one anticipated, the look of fear slowly disappeared as a bright smile took its place.

friends, we love you so dearly and we’ve been honored to have walked this hard and wonderful journey with you. will is both blessed and a blessing, and we can’t wait to watch as the lord grafts him perfectly into your family.