an unexpected gift...

this little package here

is the best little package

one could only begin to

hope for.

we are continuously reminded

of a God who never lets go.

we waited almost two years

for a child.  

the three of us waited.

and 2 years felt like a long

time for ben and i to wait...

but for a 5 year old-

it.feels.like.f o r e v e r.

and then the call came.
just a day after

mother's day.

imagine.

what other day would

hold more significance

than that?
{God's timing is impeccable.}

we had no idea that will

would be born just 

6 days later.

the lifetime of 2 years

just drifted by in 6 short days.

his first 6 days were spent in the nicu.

6 very long days.

days that taught 

us more about what

really mattered in life.

more about our amazing

birth mom.

her courage.

her strength.

her core.

and we learned so much about will...

his determination.

his tender heart.

his every breakthrough...we counted in amazement.

we knew more.

we bonded more.

we loved more in 6 days

than we knew what to do with.

....

and 7 months later,

i still cannot get through

a post without choking back tears...

especially with this news.

.....

last month, we were getting ready

to pay our final payment for our adoption.

the statement was incorrect.

it stated that what was owed was $2500.

when, in fact, it should have read $5000.

ben called our agency to let them know

of this error.

janice, in accounting, quickly corrected ben.

there wasn't an error in the amount.

someone had gifted $2500 anonymously

on will's behalf.

i don't think ben was able to hold it together

before hanging up the phone. 

he came home to tell me that night.

i went and got will out of his crib.

we just had to hold him.

we wanted him to be experience this moment

and the love that was given to us...to him.

we did not know what to do with so much.

so we just cried.

then..we started guessing.

who? who would do such an amazing thing?

with each name...we just cried more.

we could imagine that

it could be any one of our family members

or friends doing such a thing.

shortly after ingesting all of this...

we were given more news that

someone else was taking on our

final payment of $2500.

it.was.more 

than we could take in.

how does one appropriately thank

someone else-or a group of people

for loving us and for loving our son so much

that they would pay a debt that

was not theirs to pay?

i'm not sure either.

and, wow...do we have a story.

an amazing love story to share

with him someday. 

...

we picked out 2 stones. 

and wrote $2500 on each one with a big, fat sharpie.

they sit on top of our pile of ebenezer stones.

each stone represents a time in our lives 

that we experienced God's faithfulness...

and there are many.

counting each blessing........