Where Joy Begins

If you were reading this blog a year ago today, you read this. If you weren't here a year ago and are interested in one of the biggest days of our lives, you can read this post. Today is the anniversary of Bear's referral.

It does not seem possible a year has passed since we first set eyes on Bereket. I've walked around all day today smiling thinking of it. I cried thankful tears tonight as he fell asleep in my arms. I still think of referral day as a day of birth. Of course Bear has a birthday, the day he was born on earth. Although September 22 is not where his story begins, it is the day he was born to us. It was the day that our dreams of a child became flesh and blood. He became known to us.

Our caseworker Julie told us she had lots of photos to send with our referral documents. She was right. 49 photos to be exact, and we were only expecting 2. It felt like we hit the jackpot on referral day. While we waited to bring him home, there wasn't a pixel in these photos that escaped us. Not a single letter or detail in his referral documents we didn't pour over, over and over again.
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Tiny 8 week old babe.
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On the move. That's our Bear.



Laughing. That too is our boy.



Here is one example of the sneer mentioned in the referral call post.

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Before you were conceived, we wanted you.

Before you were born, we loved you.

Before we knew your face an hour, we knew you were ours.

When at last we held you in our arms, we knew we would die for you.
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Bereket, we waited our entire lives for you. What a beautiful day.

Happy referral-versary baby boy!