It's time to give you an update. We've been home three entire weeks but it doesn't seem possible that it's been that long. Sometimes I feel like the boys have been a part of our family forever, and other times I feel like we don't know them at all. We're learning more and more about each other as the days go on, and we're learning to live our new normal.
I'm not going to lie, it's been hard. Really hard. I don't like change, and I have a really hard time whenever our "normal" is interrupted. But here's the thing, what we used to call normal, and familiar, and life, well that's no longer our normal, or our familiar, or our life. Everything is different now. And finally, I'm starting to realize that it's okay. So, maybe I don't like the noise level, or the mess, or how we can't communicate with the boys, but that's okay. In a few months the things I view as problems now aren't going to matter anymore. Sure, they chew loud when they eat.Yes, it's sometimes hard for them to get along with everyone else. But, that's okay. Those things are not the things that really matter, those are just the things that are happening right now, not the things that are important, just the things that make it a little bit harder.
The boys are doing wonderfully. Really. They're helpful and sweet and they try so hard to say the few English words they know correctly. Everyday when they wake up, I know it takes strength for them to get up and face the day. They don't know us, they only met us a month ago. Each day they are brave. They try new things, learn new words, meet new people, live a new life.
Adoption isn't easy. It takes patience and strength and God. It takes prayer and grace. And alone, I'd never be able to get through it. But with God, all things are possible. In Him alone, we can find our strength and our grace and our peace.
A new normal. More grocery shopping, more noise, different languages, more tears, more smilies, more doctor's appointments, more laughter, more love. It might be hard, but this whole new normal thing? I think I can handle it. It's beautiful and hard and difficult and wonderful.
It will take time. We're going to cry, we're going to smile and laugh, but eventually this new normal will become familiar.
