Today. 2011. A Babe - One. We Celebrate.

It's hard to believe that an entire year has passed since I posted this.

Having no clue we'd be...well, here. Five. In Alberta. Celebrating. Praising. Rejoicing. Holding. Kissing. Loving. Giving great thanks.

In light of that post, moreover of that day, I can't help but say, "thank you God that we did".

Painfully at times, we felt staying the course was our only option. Painfully.

And to think of the gift we would have missed, had we veered. Taken another path. Eased the anguish and ceased the tears in the name of less raw emotion. Forgetting, ignoring that "The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." (Buechner)

We would have missed this all.

Because, though it seems in some ways that she's always been here - because you know, she is such a perfect fit for us - I know that not long ago we ached. And as I've said before, not unlike the pain of childbirth the memory of that pain will never be forgotten (how could it...it is a part of the journey), it has faded to some of the rearmost parts of our memory. Intentionally sometimes. It has been forced there by pure grace, joy, one little ethiopian girl.

There have been many milestones we've missed in the still short life of our sweet, beautiful, comical, facial expression-filled, growly, cuddly, content, smiley baby girl. And that too, the acceptance and knowledge that adoption is not a journey whose specific path we necessarily chose, has been part of our experience.

Her kicking in the womb, her birth (!!!), her first cries and smiles and giggles and coos. The first time she placed her thumb in her mouth in need of self-soothing (oh! that thumb). The first time she rolled over (many friends saw this before us). Her first immunizations. Her first cough and cold and I wonder what other illnesses. We missed it all.

But not today.

Today we celebrate with the joy, a milestone together.

We celebrate a little girl turning one.

Though it's not just that, is it. We celebrate being family. Five. We delight in this day not only for it's importance but as one piece continuing to form the story of miracles. Togetherness. Joy. We celebrate the anguish and excruciating moments which led us to this moment of fruition, revelry, and absolute awe.

Happy Birthday Sweet Beautiful Merciful Makeda.

{Today we celebrate...tomorrow we party!}