HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Take twelve whole months.
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness,
hate, and jealousy.
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.

Now cut each month into twenty-eight, thirty, or
thirty-one different parts,
but don’t make up the whole batch at once.
Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients.

Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience, one part of courage,
and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope,
faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation,
and one good deed.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits,
a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cupful of good humor.

Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy,
garnish with a smile,
and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness.
You’re bound to have a happy new year.

Inspiring Words.

Do not undermine your worth by
comparing yourself to others.
It is because we are different
that each of us is special.

Do not set your goals by what
other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Do not take for granted the things
closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,
for without them, life is meaningless.

Do not let your life slip
through your fingers
by living in the past or the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
you live all the days of your life.

Do not give up when you
still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the
moment you stop trying.
It is a fragile thread that
binds us to each other.

Do not be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances
that we learn how to be brave.

Do not shut love out of your life by
saying it is impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive
love is to give love.
The fastest way to lose love
is to hold it too tightly.

In addition, the best way to keep
love is to give it wings.
Do not dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams
is to be without hope.
To be without hope
is to be without purpose.

Do not run through life
so fast that you forget
not only where you have been,
but also where you are going.
Life is not a race,
but a journey to be savored
each step of the way.

Lovely princess.

She had already found a place in our hearts and was there to stay.



Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act.
(Proverbs 24:12).
Any amount of waiting by a child without a family, is too long.

Adoption...

Adoption is not a secondary method of becoming parents. It's the choice that God has planned for you since before you were born. It just takes us a little longer to realize when adoption is His parenthood plan for us.

Meet little beautiful girl Dana.

Mayonnaise Jar & 2 Cups of Coffee.

I was reading one RR family blog and really liked this devotion.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous . . . "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided. "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things; God, family, children, health, friends and favorite passions, things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter; like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else; the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first", he continued "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities, the rest is just sand."One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled.

"I'm glad you asked; it just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Thank you for all of your love, prayers, and support.
Thank you for being one of my "golf balls"

Are you ready?

Little Dana is a very fair, blonde haired little girl who is four years old and has Treacher Collins Syndrome. She was born in the summer of 2006. She is very bright and inquisitive. Her caregivers says she smiles with a sense of understanding. Her ears and hearing are affected by this syndrome but she has a Baha implanted hearing device. This has improved her ability to hear and they doctors say she does not have nerve damage. She otherwise has normal development according to the psychologist. We believe she may have had a cleft palate which was repaired but this was not on her medical report. She is being placed as a special needs child.