A few of My Favorite things....

‘Tis the season to be jolly.  Or so they say.  Currently I am responding to the incessant Christmas music, the crowds at stores, the colorful lights adorning houses and trees with a big “Bah, Humbug!”  Cliche, but true.

In the midst of this adoption, it is easy to be caught up in what is missing from our home.  Whose presence we desire.  This week we found out that the time period to adopt from Ethiopia has increased by about 6 months.  6 MONTHS!!  The cats in this neighborhood (being the breeders they are) could double their number in that amount of time.  And we will still be twiddling our thumbs, waiting for our daughter’s arrival.

I don’t mean to complain; I am just terribly disappointed.  Here’s my problem (not my ONLY problem, just one of the many): Although I am good at talking (really good, probably too good), I am not good at giving thanks for my “wonderful life” (Love that Christmas movie; I hope my guardian angel is named Clarence).  And let’s face it, no matter how difficult times are-if you live in America, you are BLESSED!  We have have an absurd abundance that we completely take for granted.

So I’d like to kick my rotten attitude to the curb for the rest of this post and acknowledge 2 of my greatest blessings in this life.  My housemates, David and Elijah.  Although this adoption journey has been incredibly difficult already, it has served to highlight (not diminish) the fact that I live with 2 outstanding boys.

 David:
When you constantly hear me talking about this adoption, please do NOT assume that I am running the show.  David is not radio silent.  He’s most comfortable working behind the scenes, encouraging me to use my writing talent to work on this blog.  He is a servant.  He puts his family before everything else.  Recently someone asked Elijah who was his best friend.  He replied, “Well, I have two.  Joel and Daddy.”  That says it all.  He is a wonderful father who shares his son’s obsessive interest in Legos and Star Wars.   

Best friends!

 David is a fact finder.  He is incredibly smart and passionate about helping people.  But he doesn’t let people’s opinions of him run his life.  One of my favorite things about him is his singing voice.  It is not going to win any American Idol competitions if you get my drift.  However, standing beside him during worship at church is amazing.  He does NOT care who gets blasted by his deep, foghorn voice; he’s belting it out for Jesus-not for you.  That quality-to care about people without being controlled by them-is something I strive for.    

On our first date, David read me (in entirety) his favorite children’s book “Because of Winn Dixie.”  I was pretty much a goner after that.  He is sensitive, but reasonable (a balance I am still working on).  Patient, respectful, and a fierce friend.  But if you would like to question him about his beliefs, be prepared to get schooled.  Also, he possesses an intense love for wolf shirts and periodically dresses like a redneck to blend with the locals at the nearby dirt track.

There are no words for this one....

 He is, in a word: Awesome.

Elijah:
Elijah is our sensitive boy.  He is so in tune with other’s emotions.  His Sunday school teacher came up to me the other week and said, “You know, Elijah just GETS it.  He actually understands.”  And he does; he has an incredible capacity for depth.  He is friendly and polite.  He, like me, gets energy while surrounded by people, running around, and being his crazy, silly self.

Elijah is also a talker.  Not sure where he gets that from :).  He asks questions about EVERYTHING.  He is very smart, so smart I get a little worried about what he is constructing out of Legos during his free time.

He is really interested in counting money, separating coins, and knowing the total amount of his savings.  It’s like having a miniature Donald Trump or Scrooge McDuck in the house.  He talks about how he wants to grow up and have MONEY, like real money.  “I need some cash” is his catch phrase.  The other night we repeated to him (as we often do) that earning money isn’t the most important thing in life.  Then David seized that opportunity.  “Buddy,” he said, “What is the MOST important thing?”  Without blinking an eye, Elijah responded, “Saving people.”   You could have knocked me over with a feather.  I literally think I clutched at my heart because it was too much.  Yes sweet boy, that IS the most important thing.  (And P.S. I don’t care if I was thinking of “saving people” in the metaphysical sense and he was thinking of it in the ninja warrior sense.  I’m still counting it!)

Grandpa gifted Elijah some coins for Christmas.  He was pretty happy about it.

 Today I am incredibly grateful for my boys.  I don’t tell them enough.  Listen, I don’t want to be one of those people who is always all, “Blah blah blah, I have the most PERFECT family!  Don’t you love hearing me talk about them ALL the time?!  Doesn’t your family life seem inferior by comparison?”  Eww, I won’t be that person.  But I will say that I have the best family for me.  God tailored us for each other; I am beyond lucky to have them in my life.  And our African princess will be so lucky to have them too.  Not to mention that her added girl power will balance out the testosterone in this house and help me from getting totally dominated in our boy versus girl nerf gun battles.   That’s just a bonus.

Be prepared-our nerf battles are epic!