HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our family and friends.   We have so much to be thankful for because GOD has blessed us so much.   As I sit with a full belly, watching the Dallas Cowboys beat Oakland on a beautiful Thanksgiving day with all my family around, laughing, playing and doing what families do,  I cannot help but be thankful.  I know our life is not perfect, no one's life is, but we are blessed far beyond most.  I can not help but think about our Haitian boys and hoping that this will be there last Thanksgiving without us and next year they can be here with us.  I have no idea what they did for Thanksgiving dinner today but I know they are well taken care of until we get them.  We want them with us as soon as possible and this is my Thanksgiving prayer.

Here are Thanksgiving/Christmas pictures early for us to enjoy.  I hope that everyone's Thanksgiving has been awesome.

                                          Davidson, Darby, and Cherdinor 2013

                                          Davidson and Cherdinor 2013

                                          Davidson and Cherdinor 2013

                                                        Davidson 2013

                                                        Cherdinor 2013

                                                       Davidson, Darby, and Cherdinor 2013

                                            Davidson, Darby, and Cherdinor 2013

                                           Davidson, Darby, and Cherdinor 2013

                                           Davidson, Darby, and Cherdinor 2013

We took these pictures in June when we were there but I have been saving them to post around Christmas and could not wait any longer.  

Ironic

When we moved into this house we had thought about adoption, but we were not really that close.   There was a child's room on the downstairs that had this mural  painted on the wall with these words.   We had thought about painting over it but did not.  We later knew this was going to be our Haitian boys' room when they come, so we had matching bed spreads made with Winnie the Pooh characters.   I was in there the other day, and I can honestly say I have never paid attention to the words actually written on the wall and as I read them seemingly for the first time I thought,  "How appropriate for our new addition."  I can't wait to have that room filled with little boys and lots of love .

Waiting

It has been a long time since I have posted and a lot that is due to how busy we are.  My three biological children keep me busy in the fall of the year.  My oldest daughter plays soccer for Freed-Hardeman University.  My son plays high school football at Chester County High School.  My youngest daughter is a high school soccer player at Chester County High School.  Each night of the week is usually a mad dash to a ball field somewhere in West Tennessee.  It is so enjoyable to watch our kids participate in sports but it does keep us on our toes.

Here are some pictures from our fall sports.

                                                                     DARBY

                                                           
                                                                        WILSON

                                                                      MADELYN

The main reason I have not posted is because I have no new news to report.  We continue to skype with our boys every two weeks in Haiti and this is a joy.   They gradually become more talkative with us, but it is hard for them since they do not know English well.  Today it has been exactly 14 months since our paperwork was handed over to IBESR with no movement that we know about.   WE assume that our paperwork is in dispensation waiting for the President's signature.  The new law is soon to be signed that will bring in Hague Adoptions in Haiti, and we do not know how that will affect us.  We know that we will not need dispensation under this new law.  Maybe our paperwork will be ready to leave IBESR then, but we are not sure.

So we wait....So we pray....and we will continue to skype with our boys.

Here are two pictures of the boys that we received in October from other adoptive families who have been taking pictures for all of us.

                                                              CHERDINOR  (on the right)

                                                                      DAVIDSON

We hope that you all will continue to pray with us that these boys will get to our family soon so we can continue to teach them about GOD and about how special they are in HIS eyes.   We will pray every day ourselves and we will wait.  I am gaining a new appreciation for this word,  wait.  Here are some of those feelings in poem form.

                                                           I WAIT

As a hind catcher poised on his toes with glove extended waits for the pitcher to make that perfect crisp snap of the ball in his leather glove,
enthusiastically, eagerly,
I wait.

As a farmer watches his tender plants while looking in the sky for any furtive cloud that might signal much needed rain,
longingly, uncontrollably,
I wait.

As a father stands by the side of his beautiful young wife for the birth of their first born child,
dutifully, exultantly,
I wait.

As a fisherman sits by the side of the water with pole in hand watching all day for his float to be pulled under water without success,
pensively, patiently,
I wait.

I am an adoptive parent who is waiting for his children to come home,
enthusiastically, eagerly, longingly, uncontrollably, dutifully, exultantly, pensively, patiently,
I wait.

R. Scott Miskelly