coming home!

I write very little specifically about adoption these days.  No particular reason.  I mostly just write about Lily as my daughter, rather than accentuating the fact that she is adopted. 

I am still an advocate for adoption when I have opportunity, however, and I enjoy hearing and reading adoption stories.  I am pretty sure many, if not most, of the adoptive parents with which I associate have a hope that their adoptive story and experience would be a positive influence in seeing other children adopted into loving families.  I know I had this hope when I was writing my blog posts surrounding the adoption of our daughter.  I passionately wrote the emotions of the experience, and I hoped to someday hear someone say "Lily's story inspired us to become adoptive parents."

That is why I was very excited to receive an email from Kelly (a college friend... who has the same useless degree as me), a little over a year ago, that asked questions about adoption as her and her husband, Jeff, were exploring the many adoption options and praying about whether it was the right step for their family.  It really came as no surprise to me... for some reason I thought at the time we adopted Lily that of all the people I know, I could totally see Kelly and Jeff adopting a child.

I was very excited when I later received the email that said that they had decided to move forward with adoption and that they, too, were drawn to the children of China.  I was also very humbled to hear them attribute my blog posts, penned at to China, for Lily, for being one of their big inspirations.  I hesitate to say that, because it sounds vain of me, but Kelly publicly credited my blog in a recent post of hers, so she said it, not me!  Wow, there it was... what I had hoped to hear... "Lily's story inspired us to become adoptive parents!"

Kelly and Jeff are packing and will be in China to meet their son, Matthew, before month's end!  You can read their story and follow them to China at their blog, Car Keys, Footballs & China.

I am looking forward to meeting Matthew at some point when he gets settled in and I am very honored to play a small part in this adoption story.  Best wishes to Jeff, Kelly, Shelby and Robbie as you welcome your son and brother, and prayers for safe travel!