LID!

Pay no attention to the weeks and weeks between our Log In Date (LID) and today's post....!  Did that work?  Thought not.  I keep thinking we are up for a more peaceful period, where I will have time to compose something fun and cute to announce this next step.......Stop laughing!!!  We had three sets of houseguests, numerous minor repairs and one big one come up, and I have the "back to school special" (long bad cold).  Not that I teach in a school.  Or feel particularly special with this thing.  Anyway, we are officially eligible to be matched anytime now.  It could be several months, though, there's no way to know...I just know Who is in control.  In any case, the very next step is seeing our child face for the first time!!!

Have I mentioned the latest in our garden saga?  If you don't know, God's been using our garden to remind me of His provision, usually right when I'm about to need reminding.  Which is hilarious, if you know my gardening, um, abilities.  And I was about to need some serious reminding, although that story is for another day (and isn't very fun anyway).  There is a local furniture shop that sells tables with bright mosaic tile tops.  Since this spring, I've had my eye on one with gold and iris colored tiles.  But the last one left wasn't put together with its base and besides, patio furniture is not exactly in the budget during this process.  Knowing the colorful, unique pieces would be fun for my in-laws, we brought them shopping when they came to visit.  While we were there, Michael asked me if I wanted him to ask about the table top leaning against the brick wall.  I said yes, but there was no way they could sell it for less than $200.  I am usually pretty decent with pricing, so I just left to go explore another store in the cul de sac.  When I came out of an antiques shop and looked across the way, the table was missing.  Y'all, buying something he knows I'd never buy for myself is right up my husband's ally!  So I marched up to to car, feeling a little pale....Well, guess what?  The top had been shipped without its base, left sitting there useless for months, and Michael was told if he would take it away, it was ours!  On it's own, I might consider this a very lucky shopping trip, but in the context of my little garden story, my heart recognizes it as something more.  Trust me, the weird unexpected expenses and challenges are here too.  In fact, those of us in this process talk often about how the most bizarre things start to happen- in waves- when you set your mind to adopting...we know where it's from, and we know who wins.  And meanwhile, we serve a Lord who uses ordinary events to remind us of extraordinary truths!

"Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, 
For His mercies never end.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your Faithfulness!"

Lamentations 3:21-23