That's why Christmas was so special this year. Our family and friends made generous donations to our adoption fund, instead of gifts, which we really appreciated. The gifts we did receive were reflective of "her" and our future as a family.
From Left to Right: "The Color of Me" by: Lisa L. Dunn wasn't given to us, it was actually a gift from Grandma Walker to our nephews but we love its message and hope our nephews will too. The book emphasizes that everyone is made from God's colors and that all races are equal in the eyes of God. We think it's a great book and would recommend it.
Over the holidays we visited the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH. It's a tremendous resource for families, the center is very well done and has a great gift shop. We purchased this hand beaded African giraffe for "her" bedroom as a Christmas present and a souvenir of our first visit to the Freedom Center.
"70 Traditional African Recipes" by: Rosamund Grant was an unexpected gift from a close friend. We love the cookbook and plan on trying some of the recipes and sharing them on the blog in the coming weeks.
"From My Heart You Came" by Heidi Ballard (a mother who adopted from Ethiopia) was a gift to me from my sweet husband. The book is a tender journey through the thoughts and emotions of a mother's heart for her adopted child. It's nicely illustrated and I love that the story ends with a picture of the mother and child (there's an insert for a personal photo). Another great thing about this gift is that 10% of the purchase price went to support Into the Streets of Ethiopia. A nonprofit whose mission is to raise financial support, basic living materials and educational needs for children living on the streets of Ethiopia.
A photo book and memory box for "her" from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Brandon. We can't wait to have photos of her to put in the photo book and memories to put in the memory box.
The last gift was from our Aunt Vivian. She asked a friend to make this sweater for "her" while she was in Hawaii. We couldn't help but shed a few tears when we opened it and our family did too. We were so touched because it was the first Christmas gift we opened that was just for "her".
We feel confident that we'll have a referral before next Christmas. By then, we hope to have visited "her" at least once, maybe twice, or who knows if we're lucky we could be celebrating Christmas with her.
Let's hope that 2011 is a grand year!
Oh how I can't wait for the day when you share how you saw her face for the first time. You better get some video of that, because it will be your turn to share your tears with the world! :)
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