Mother's Day and Referral Anniversary

(I'm so behind on blogging that I decided to combine these two events.)

Two years ago, May 4th, we received Samson's referral. Last week we celebrated with injera and Dora Wat, traditional Ethiopian food. It was yummy!

 Confession: I bought the injera and it was the best!

 My Dora Wat - I don't know if it looks right but it tasted great!

I set the table with traditional Ethiopian decor. Makes me want to go back to Ethiopia!!

Our referral came just days before Mother's Day 2009. It was so surreal. I was the mother of not just three children but now four. I remember being overwhelmed with mixed emotions after knowing my son's story - knowing that neither of his mothers would be spending Mother's Day with him. It really is an overwhelming feeling to think about what could have been.

This Mother's Day the kids each presented a gift and/or card to me. 

Olivia designed my card into a creative game, an origami kind of thing, that when you open it up reveals words of how much she loves me as her mother.

Avery made a picture frame out of noodles with an adorable picture of her on the play ground at school. Her card also expressed her love for me.

Lauren wrote a very nice card to me expressing her love and what she likes most about me.

I would love to share all of these but by the request of my daughter's I am keeping them to myself.

Samson actually presented his gift first. It was in a small white paper bag decorated with puffy stickers on the outside. Inside was pink tissue and this:

On one side is his hand print

 

On the other side, he drew a red heart, wrote 'LOVE' in yellow, a sun in brown, 'MOMMY' in brown and a picture of me in black. Isn't it beautiful?!

When I pulled out the pot holder and saw his hand print, I had to fight back tears thinking if only his Ethiopian mommy could see his hand print. Why am I so lucky to be the one who receives this gift? Filled with much guilt and mixed emotions of joy and sadness, I retreated to my bedroom upstairs for a good cry. Celebrating Mother's Day is just too overwhelming still. I am overly blessed and undeserving of this.

Wednesday morning Steve and I fly to Kentucky for the Summit. We are so excited for some time away and look forward to networking with others and advocating for orphans around the world. Please keep us in your prayers. I'm hoping to blog about our experiences from Kentucky!