Things that make me smile

In the midst of all the Vietnam uncertainty, I am promising myself to remain positive and commit our adoption journey to Kaylee and that we will find her waiting for us in Vietnam. I believe that God has chosen us for this journey and we will remain true to it until He shows His divine grace and reveals her to us.

In the meantime, I have been trying to think of happy things each day, to keep my spirits up and not down. I would like to share some of my favorite things, and what is so refreshing is that most of them are ordinary things that we don't think much about, but without them, my life would be so much less happy. So here goes.....

• The smell of Tide and Bounce in my laundry
• The sound of my dogs snoozing in the afternoon
• Icecream and strawberries
• Snuggling my cold pillow at night
• Seeing the buttercups blooming and the birds singing
• Watching a baby sleeping
• The smell of homebaked bread-- yummmmm
• An ice cold Dr. Pepper(oh, what I am going to do without it in Vietnam?)
• Listening to children sing
• Going to the zoo and watching all the animals play
• Watching the sun set in the evening (I would say the sunrise, but I hardly ever see it for sleeping!)
• Blogging with all my friends, and meeting new friends everyday
• Driving with the window down enjoying the breeze (until you smell the skunk, and then, the window must go up!)
• Eating hot buttery popcorn at the theatre( anyone up for a movie-- it's been a while for this one)
• The smell of CLEAN diapers (I love walking down the diaper aisle in Target to smell the diapers! I know, just call me crazy)
• The sound of the ocean
• Hot chocolate with Rediwhip and sprinkles
• Finally getting to watch a NEW episode of CSI: MIAMI
• Surfing the blogs and seeing all the adorable Vietnam babies! ( Can't wait till I can add my own baby to that one!)
• Kissing my husband good night
• Getting kissed by my dachsie babies!
• Listening to lullabies
• Praying to God and then waiting for Him to act
• Dreaming of my baby, soon I hope we will be able to meet her

These are just a few of may favorite things. I hope they have brought you some cheer as well. We so often take for granted all the little things in life, being distracted by the BIG things, it is so true what they say about "Stop and smell the roses"; if you miss the opportunity, you will wish you had it back. Sometimes we are so consumed in the BIG things (i.e. adoption) that we often forget to take each day as it comes and live life to its fullest everyday. Like a friend once told me, before the world of computers and blogging, life was normal- painting bedrooms and listening to music-- and then one day, the phone rang with the call- they had a referral and her life was changed forever. We often hold on to things we think we can change, instead of letting go and letting God change things. God's gifts to us are NEVER late, they are always on time. It is really hard not be child-focused in this journey, but we have to remain God-focused for what is to come. I truly believe our God to be a loving and just God who rewards the faithful with the dreams of their hearts. He has brought us this far on this journey and He will continue to direct us. We are praying for Kaylee everyday and are praying for all our Vietnam friends. He will do great things, but it is often in our quietness that He reveals His majesty, so be still and know that He is God. I am listening, Lord, I am still, I am quiet, I am yours.

(Pause my playlist) Now, click on the video, close your eyes and listen to God.