This year, Easter was magnificent. Not that it isn't always magnificent, but I think after 27 years, I got the Easter story a little bit more. Though we've been in the adoption process for two other Easters, this was the first year that we have had a child that we are waiting on during the Easter season. This process is long, tiring, hard, painful, and expensive. And there are many times when I feel like I just can't make it another day. And yet, to adopt me, Jesus was bruised, beaten, crushed, and hung on a cross for six hours. He literally paid his life for me. To welcome me into his family, he gave it all. How great is the love our Father has for his children?!
I wanted to give a little back story to Perry and Jack's Easter baskets this year, because the 'gifts' in them were extra meaningful. (If I start to feel ambitious, I'll try to hunt down and link the other posts, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one....)
Just a few months into our adoption process, for what we thought was our little girl, Ruby Grace, Justin took me to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert where we listened to amazing music and also were able to listen to Steven and Mary Beth's testimony of adoption and faith. It was so moving and an amazing night of hope. While we were there, I fell in love with the Cinderella doll (made by the AMAZING Baby be Blessed company) and knew that I wanted one for our sweet Ruby Grace. Though we didn't have the extra money at the time, Justin was sweet enough to surprise me with one for our daughter as my Christmas present that year. I loved the doll so much that I looked up their company and saw where you could personalize the doll with your child's name and a special Bible verse. And the next Christmas my mother gave me a BbB gift certificate so that I could get Miss Ruby her very own doll with her Life Verse on it. So little Miss (wherever she maybe, whenever she may come home-because yes, Justin and I both still feel 110% sure that we have a daughter to be found one day) already has two dolls that mean the world to me.
Which got me to thinking that I wanted something that meaningful for both my boys too. Obviously not dolls, per se, but I hopped back on the BbB site to see what I could come up with. I knew I had seen scripture crowns on there before, but I saw BbB Buddies!! The cutest little animals that would do perfectly. So, I decided that would be my boy's main Christmas presents for this last year. I ordered P a monkey, because he is my little monkey, and J a little lamb, because I've unintentionally sent him several little lambs in care packages. I had both their life verses and names added and it was just perfect!! Only, some things came up and instead of them being delivered in December, they didn't make it until March!! (Warning- though this company is FABULOUS, you must order MONTHS in advance. Like, I ordered in September and it should have been in by December, but b/c of some computer issues, a few miscommunications, and a death in the BbB family, they were a little late. Which was perfectly fine b/c they ended up coming on a day that I needed the reminder of hope the very most. Another example of when things don't seem to be going our way, God's timing is always spot on!)
I also happened to stumble across another lady that made these beautiful pillows (though she's no longer in business I begged sweet talked her into doing them for me. They were also something that took about four months to get-yet SO worth the wait.) I had wanted an heirloom pillow for Perry when he was first born, but again, money was pretty tight and at the time it just didn't happen. So although my boys don't have many sentimental treasures, they both now have two that mean the world to me and will hopefully to them one day too. (The boys' names are hand appliqued and their life verse is hand stitched around their names.)
I have shared before their Life Verses, Perry's: He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11 and Jack Cruz's: Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ever ask for or imagine. Ephesians 3:20. Perry has taught me so much as a mother. Every time that I think it couldn't get better than this time or this particular age, it does. Not that the early stages are less amazing than now, but that each stage truly is beautiful and amazing. I am so thankful for the gift of motherhood and the beauty that is in all stages of watching a child grow into the person God has them to be. And sweet Jack Cruz. We had no clue the blessings and happiness God had in store for us with him. {And he's not even here yet! It's going to be so amazing when he finally is!} He took us completely by surprise. We were waiting for a girl. His special need was one we had never even considered. In fact, one of us who will remain nameless looked at that particular SN and said nope. No how, no way. In an effort to protect J's privacy, I will just say that of the two SNs he has, one involved the potential need for a wheel chair. Would you believe that our house is already wheel chair accessible? And ya'll should have heard is sweet Daddy 'fighting' for him on our phone committee interview! The love for this child we've never even held, who has needs that initially were super scary to us. And then to see the battle that Daddy would face head on just to bring him home!! When we saw Jack, we saw our son and all that fear just melted away. God had SO MUCH MORE planned for us with this little angel than we could ever have asked for or imagined. And we are thankful.
In this season of Easter, I'm so thankful for God's mercy and grace. His forgiveness and love. His abounding goodness when we don't deserve it. That He listens to and hears us when we call. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a Mommy to my boys and a child of the King, all in the same. I'm thankful for my Abba Father overcoming the grave and making a way for me to live eternally with Him.
{thankful for}
my living redeemer
the good news
matching Easter baskets
heirloom gifts
blonde bed head
a beautiful morning
Easter service
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