every child

These boys. They color my world.

Liam is 20 months and we marvel at the new things he does and says. His vocabulary is quite extensive, and he repeats new words everyday. We have to be careful what we say now around our little parrot.

Oliver is 11 weeks and smiling so much. He just beams and coos when you talk to him.  It makes my heart melt.

Right after Oliver was born I asked Patrick what he thought. "He's perfect," he replied. Several months ago while driving in the car (before Oliver was born) Patrick said, "If I had known our kid would be like Liam, I would have had him 5 years ago." His love for his boys makes me swoon.

It's not just us who think our boys are the bees knees. Our entire family is nuts over them too. It makes my heart swell at how much they are loved.

But...

My heart breaks to know there are millions of children who aren't loved and cared for. I often stop and think about what if my boys had been born into a bad situation and not cherished for the precious souls they are. I can not bear it to think it.

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." Mother Teresa

I remember so clearly when adoption was put on my heart. I was out to lunch with a friend who brought one of her friends along. Somehow in conversation it came up that her parents had adopted several kids from Liberia. During that lunch I had an aha moment. "This! This is part of my calling," I thought.

It's been eight years since the burden was first placed on my heart. Today life is a lot more complicated than in my early 20s. Two mortgages, two kids under two, and two full time working parents, the dream feels farther away than ever.

Every child should be in a family.  Every child should be cherished, loved, guided, and provided for.  Lord willing our family will be that for at least one.

I don't know how the pieces will fit together.  I don't know where the provision will come from.

But...

Today I'm dreaming dreams.