Tissue alert

I heard the song, "Temporary Home,"  this morning on my way to work and decided to watch the video tonight.  Since tears were already fresh on my eyes from my previous conversation with Lia,  I knew it would be even more of a tear jerker.  It seems that every night as I put her to bed she reveals just a little more of herself and the thoughts that are circulating through her head.   She talks non-stop until she falls asleep trying her hardest to tell us many different stories.  Tonight we had to discuss the fact that she has a FOREVER HOME and even if she acts "bad" she will always have our home.  She informed me that "bad girls go China" and "good girls go home."    Someday we will visit her homeland again, but for now I am so glad God allowed that to be her temporary home on her journey to our family.  Our lives are so much richer since God poured out His love through our  little brown eyed girl.   It broke my heart to wonder what she has been told in her few short years and how many other little boys and girls think that they don't have a mommy or daddy just because they aren't good enough.  My confidence comes from the fact that I know this is just our TEMPORARY HOME, and if we know Him we are just passing through on our way to our Forever home.

(Don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the page and turn off the music so you can listen to this beautiful song.)

 

First Day of School

Ready to go to school

Lia with her new Pre-K teacher, Mrs. Hinson

Today was the long awaited day!   It was finally here and Lia was ready to go to school.  She had her purple dress, new shoes, a princess backpack and best of all her big sister and daddy to take her to school.  I hated not being there for her excitement, but I got the next best thing.  She is surrounded by my dear friends who love her already and sent me messages throughout the morning.  I got a photo and a text proving how well she was doing and then when school was over David brought her to see me during my lunch so she could tell me all about it.  She got to play babies, cook(pretend), eat, color and play.  What more could a four year old ask for?  Not only did she get to experience school for the first time, she also got to experience her first football game cheering on the Eagles.  She was, however, rather disappointed when the Eagle mascot left and she didn't get to see it in time.  I have no doubt she will have many more opportunities, but not getting to see it tonight, was a little too heart breaking.  We just never know from day to day what may upset her, but we do know that she has plenty of people to love on her to help make it all better.

Having a great time with many new friends

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY....

but I can NOT wait until then to tell you all what happened today!  After a day that did not start off too well, it took a whole new turn and ended perfectly!  We had originally seen a cardiologist who was wonderful prior to Lia's surgery, but while she was in PICU another pediatric cardiologist came to visit us.  We chose to continue seeing this cardiologist for follow-up because he also spoke Mandarin and was able to really speak to Lia and comfort her.  We were told we would have to go to his other office that was much further for us so that we could be seen quickly and then we could go to his other office.  When we got there today, he wasn't even there due to a conflict in his schedule.  After much discussion with the nurse and dr. on call we were sent to his hospital office where he was today.  Dr. Sui had a wonderful converstaion with Lia in her native language, apologized profusely for the confusion and spent a great deal of time with us explaining every detail of Lia's health including the huge strides that medicine has come in the past few years.  The best part came after the technician finished the echocardiogram.  Dr. Sui gently closed the door, placed one hand on Lia, who was in her daddy's arms, the other on me and began to pray the MOST amazing prayer you can imagine.  He didn't just pray for her physical healing, but for her spiritual and emotional healing as well.  After his beautiful prayer was complete I told her she could ask him to answer the question she was longing to hear the answer to.  She asked if she could go to school and he said yes.  She is overjoyed!  Her eyes lit up and she wanted to tell everyone she spoke to that tomorrow she would get to go to school.  We went to lunch and of course celebrated with ice cream and then went shopping so she could pick out her new outfit for school.  It didn't take long for this girly, girl to decide that purple and pink are her favorite colors.  So tomorrow, she will celebrate her successful one month open heart surgery anniversary, with the gift she has been longing for  - SCHOOL!  To God be the glory!

Ezekiel 36:26 says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you..."

This is exactly what He is doing in our little angel as she continually reminds us of His mighty power in her life both physically and spiritually.