14 January 2009

7/12/2007 and Photos

Posted by BaBa under: Daily Life; Retrospect; Special Days .

I was working on some photos after class last night. I needed to get some pictures uploaded to Costco for printing. Sheridan was going to one of his rec center classes and they were going to share family photos. This can be a minefield for adopted kids, but he has a great teacher and there should be no problems.

I choose several pictues — of him with MaMa, with Me, with both of us and my parents. I also choose one with his sister and a family shot with her, her husband and the three of us. I then picked the earliest photo of him we have from our Yahoo Orphanage group.

I was working with the pictures and for a change there was no TV or music on. Just me working on the computer alone with my thoughts. Well I thought I was alone. You can hear God’s voice sometimes when you are still and quiet.

I located the pictue where our little guy was 13 1/2 months old and then glanced at the date. I did a double take when I looked at the date — July 12, 2007. It hit me like a bolt and I was struck by the importance of the date. We were in China on that date. However it was more than just being in China.

We were in Wuhan where we met the new forever families and heard the ancient bells ringing at the museum. Little did we know that we would later say — So when someone asks you for whom the bell tolls, it tolls joyfully for Sheridan.

It was on this day that our journey to Sheridan began and this is when the first photo of him is dated. Just 3 days later, we would be standing on the ancient city wall in Nanjing with an awesome view of the buildings on the other side of the lake in the park. We did not know what we were seeing, but were struck by the beauty.

Now we know that we were seeing in the foreground beyond the lake the Nanjing Train Station where 8 months earlier a small child had placed in the rain to be found and the basics of life be provided to him.

None of this is a coincidence. I no longer believe in them. It is just a small sign that God is with us even when we cannot see his presence.

All I can say is Thanks be to God. What a great journey was begun on that day when our long heartfelt prayer was answered in God’s own perfect time and many other people’s prayers were also answered.

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