Count Your Many Blessings, Name Them One By One

This month I have been thinking about all that I am thankful for. Recently, I have observed some of the many ways family & friends have shared the things they are most thankful for. Some have made lists of things they are thankful for using a different letter of the alphabet each day and some have baked goodies to give to neighbors and local firemen. My memories keep floating back to when I was a kid standing in church with my mom & dad singing. The song leader would lead us in the song "Count your many blessing" and every time we came to the chorus "count your many blessings, name them one by one" my mom and I would count each others fingers. It is really a sweet memory that gently reminds me each time I think of it of all the many wonderful things I have to be thankful for. Then it dawned on me today that when you think of things you're thankful for, the thankfulness just continues to spread and more and more things keep coming to mind. I have in my mind a picture of a flowering vine. It starts out small, but as it grows it continues to branch out with more and more flowering buds. It continues to spread and soon everywhere you look you are surrounded by a beautiful flowering plant. This is the same way I see a heart full of gratitude. The more thankful you are, the more that joy will begin to surround your life, like that beautiful flowering plant. Pretty soon, life's little difficulties will be diminished in comparison to the joy and all that God has blessed you with in your life. Today, I am so very thankful for my salvation (without Jesus shed blood, I would be so completely lost). I am thankful for family, friends, my home, adoption and a wonderful church family. These are the start of my flowering vine - from these everything else grows. Happy Thanksgiving!


Psalm 100:1-5
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generation.

Summer Snapshot

We are asked often how the Adoption process is going. Here is a snapshot of our summer & fall in the world of Adoption!

Garage Sales

JUNE
1st letter sent to family & friends about the adoption

Weekly Garage Sale Fundraisers

Pathways to Parenthood Class

CPR/First Aid Class & Water Saftey Course

Fingerprinting for Background Check

Began Skybox Suite Raffle Fundraiser

Quarter Auction Fundraiser courtesy of my friends Stephanie & Amy

Sold homemade card & held candybar Fundraiser

Skybox Suite Raffle

JULY

Sold more Skybox Suite Raffle Tickets

Candybar Fundraiser

Special night at Cold Stone Creamery to draw winner of Skybox

Home Study visits with our Adoption Social Worker

More Garage Sale Fundraisers

Started Adoption Profile/Dear Birthmother letter

AUGUST

Home Study Completion Letter!

Candybar Fundraiser

Transracial/Transcultural Class

Received  Home Study Completion paperwork

Finished up Adoption Profile/Dear Birthmother Letter

Held another garage sale (against my better judgement - it was 100 degrees outside)

Recycling fundraiser

Started a Baby Registry - because now we "officially" can be matched with a birthmother at anytime! YEA!

Preparing Letters to Mail

SEPTEMBER

Last garage sale fundraiser of the season! (Thank you for all your donations)

Mailed 199 letters to every pro-life group in California

2nd letter to family & friends about the adoption

Waiting for a call saying we've been matched with a birthmother.

OCTOBER

Waiting......waiting.....waiting....

Encouraged by supportive friends and family

Waiting.....waiting....waiting....

Began forming lists of schools, women's shelters, youth shelters etc to send letters to about the adoption
Started an Adoption Blog to give everyone updates on the Adoption.

In-between and behind every line and letter has been much prayer for God's perfect timing in our lives. We know he has a plan and while we try to wait patiently, we cannot wait to see everything unfold over the upcoming months. 

-Korry and Sarah