Five Months Ago...

It was December 16th, 2010 when my sister texted this picture to me:

It was maybe a year into Amanda and Steve's adoption process and they had received and accepted their referral for their two Ethiopian children.  They were awaiting a court date and Amanda had recently become acquainted with another adoptive mother from Seattle.  She was going to be traveling to the same orphanage in Ethiopia to pick up the child she was adopting and agreed to deliver the photo books that Amanda had put together for her children.

I can't help but wonder how things would have happened (or not happened) had this sweet woman not made the choice to snap that picture and send it to my sister.  And what if Amanda had not made the choice to send it to me?

Up until that day, I was perfectly content in watching Amanda and Steve's adoption process from a distance.  I would often think to myself, "Wow, that is such a great thing they are doing but there is no way I could do that."  I often thought how glad I was that our family was complete.  I felt content with my family just the way it was and couldn't even picture things any other way.

Then I saw that picture.

There was that girl.  That sweet face looking straight at the camera.  Those eyes.  I couldn't get that image out of my mind.  I had a dream about her that night and spent the next two days trying hard to dismiss the feelings I was having.  I couldn't.  I wondered how Rob would react to the thoughts I was having.  We had never discussed the idea of adoption and I had no idea how he would take it.

Two days after my sister texted me that picture, I sent her a text that went something like this:

Me: "Amanda, I can't get that little girl's face from the picture you sent me out of my mind.  It's crazy.


Her: "I thought she was SO cute!  I don't know anything about her though."


Me:  "Is there any possible way to find out about her?  I know this sounds crazy...

My sister then emailed her friend, who was still in Ethiopia and received a quick response.  The girl in the picture was adoptable and there was something else.  She had a brother.

So, that was it.  That's where it all began.

More to come...