stories of love and hope

One of the great blessings of the adoption journey is the stories you hear along the way. You tune into stories that reflect your own journey, and you are overwhelmed by the amazing love you encounter in the lives of others. Last night we had the privilege of going out on our monthly date. (Thanks, Mom and Bob!) Based on an email sent to a group of orphan advocates, we went to the movies to see Bella. It is an incredibly deep film based on actual events that makes you stop and think about what is really important in life... about family and priorities and true joy and acting with dignity and how beauty can come from deep pain. We were both completely taken in. The abrupt ending threw me (Becky) for a loop, and I spent the next few hours trying to decide if I still liked the movie. By 11pm I concluded that the story was so good that I was just disappointed that I didn't get to hear more of it. We went to see Bella because of its connection to adoption, but it turned out to be a story about so much more. I didn't even realize it was a true story until I looked it up this morning to put a link in this post. Now I'm completely overwhelmed and ready to watch it again. You should definitely see it. If it's not showing near you, come see it in King of Prussia. I'll cook you dinner, send you off with discount movie coupons, and give you a cozy bed to sleep in if you need it.

Because my chilly toes have encouraged me to stay on the couch under a quilt this morning, I had the opportunity to be blessed by another story of hope, love, and faith while I was catching up on my adoption blog reading. If you have a few extra minutes, read this post from a mommy who just brought her kids home from Liberia... in a very different way than she expected. My heart is so encouraged, and I'm feeling so thankful for the journey we've traveled the past 2 years that I just had to share because many of you were a huge part of our story. Now I'll excuse myself and go smother my kids with kisses before I make lunch.