Memorial Box Monday - The Miracle we didn't know we needed

     We are almost to our one year anniversary of adopting Georgia! The warm weather and sultry skies of July in Southern Washington remind me daily of a time not so long ago. As I was driving yesterday, God reminded me of something from that time and I had no doubt that I was supposed to write it here.
     At this time last year, we were begging God. Not just calmly asking but, face on the floor, tears everywhere, stomach in knots begging. We had been told that we would probably travel with our agency's group that would leave on July 30th but our Travel Approval was no where to be seen. Each day was torturous as I waited at home, obsessively checking email, everything in me yearning for those two little words...TA.
   As most of you know, we kept getting word that Georgia was sick and seemed to be getting sicker. The last update that we had said that she was sick but it was "not pneumonia" but we did not know how she was doing. A respiratory illness for a child with an untreated heart condition can be fatal. We had talked through all the scenarios with doctors, cardiologists and together. We knew that she was the child the Lord had chosen for us whether we got to hold and enjoy her for a day or for a lifetime. We also knew that we needed to get to her soon.
   Day after day went by with no new word on our travel. Our agency told us on that the 28th was the deadline and if we did not have word by then we would need to travel with the next group leaving 30-45 days later. The 28th came and I waited all day, but nothing came. I wept and prayed long into the night. I threw my own pity party and unpacked by bags, ate the snacks I had bought for the plane and began to read the book I had bought for the trip. I cried myself to sleep, so tired of waiting and worrying about my little girl. I just wanted to hold her and weather any more worries together.
     Morning dawned and I did not even check my email. I pouted and got the kids ready to go to the beach for the day, "forget the email, forget it all" was what I was thinking. As I was about to leave, I had this sneaking feeling that I should check the email. So I stepped over the piles of unpacked clothes and my snack wrappers from the night before and hit 'refresh'...and there it was, miracle of miracles, an email from our agency saying "book your flights!" We would leave in 2 days and meet up with the group in Beijing!
     So I pulled the kids from the car, and began shoving everything back in my bags while playing, "Mighty to save" as loud as possible on our stereo. We  celebrated and I dreamed and counted how many more sleeps until I would be with our Georgia Mei!
    Flash forward to August 14th...I came up the escalator at the Seattle-Tacoma airport with Georgia Mei dressed in pink China silks in my arms. Every part of me still felt shaky after 16 hours of keeping oxygen on her, watching the deepening blue and purple on her lips, toes and fingers. I was head -over-heels in love with this little one and still so unnerved by how much sicker she was than I had thought. I fell into Doug's arms and could not hug Ravenna and Parker enough. I tried to take in all of the friends and family and swarms of kids all there to celebrate our new baby girl...it was beyond beautiful and yet part of me was racing because I knew we needed to get Georgia help. She melted limply into Doug's arms, somehow seeming to know that he was her Daddy and would keep her safe. I could see her breath was rapid & shallow.
    Doug & I drove straight to the hospital for a pre-set appointment. Georgia slept through her echocardiogram and slept still in my arms as the cardiologist began to speak. He asked questions and listened and pulled up the ekg results. Then he said it, words I will never forget, "You know that this child is very lucky...in another 30 days I am sure that she would not have been alive."
   Oh how everything stopped and spun at the same time. I had been desperate to get to my girl, to end the waiting but I had no idea how badly she needed that miracle. God knew, He knew that I needed to be with that travel group, that she did not have the luxury of more time to wait.

   And He knew that she would now be snuggled into her bed, wearing her Daddy's shirt (it is all she wants to wear now), his socks on pulled up to her hips, cute as can be and healthy...He knew that she would be a huge part of our joy and our delight.


  In my Memorial Box? A copy of that travel approval to remind me of the massive mountains that God moved just in the nick of time!

"For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

2 Chronicles 16:9

If you want to find out more about Memorial boxes visit Linny here