I just had to share.

There are a million & one things I want to tell you guys & share ... about so many aspects of growing our family & what this means to us that sometimes, it's hard to even sit down & start writing because it's definitely not a train of thought that starts at one station & ends at another! ;)

But today, a bigger message was sent to me. I was watching Oprah (I know, roll your eyes if you want, but seriously, I have a heart for Oprah & while I *never* get to watch her shows anymore - toady somehow, I was able to steal away for a few minutes to see this part ... maybe there was a reason for that) and John Travolta was on. The next thing I knew, they were showing a clip from Oprah's 50th birthday bash where Johnny (as she likes to call him ;) ) made a toast to her, with the general sentiment that the world is a better place with you in it.

This stuck out in the mind of a fan from Alberta, Canada who, long story short, ended up volunteering in an orphanage in Africa, later raising funds to build them a house. I was in tears. It just all seemed so real to me.

The mail also came today and with it, some holiday cards & holiday cheer, gifts toward our baby. Very unexpected and yet, almost seemed unreal due to the events of the day. I know there's a daddy post coming soon ... and I am going to show our puzzle - your puzzle - that we've been putting the pieces together for, very, very soon ... but somehow through all of this, we are just a little over $1,000 shy of hitting our half-way mark of $5,000. Isn't that amazing?!!!

And I think why it makes me more sentimental is that somehow there are signs along the way ... a few weeks before Thanksgiving I declared, "Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could hit the 2500 mark?! Wow! That would just be incredible!" A week before, it looked like it probably wasn't feasible ... and then ... just days before Thanksgiving, the truly thankful blessing of meeting & then surpassing that amount.

Shortly after that I whispered, "How cool would it be if we could raise half of this by Christmas ... wow, that would just give me such peace ... such a sigh of relief" we're not even traveling yet but the thought of being able to somehow cover some of this ground & be ready for the unexpected, as you have to be in this process, would be incredible. Beyond amazing.

With only 12 days until Christmas, I don't know if we'll make it ... but I feel such gratitude ... and such HOPE that we've made it this far.

Thank you.
And Merry Christmas to each & every one of you.
YOU make a world of difference.