Dear Meili Joy,
Today is Monday March 11th, 2013. A day your Mama and Baba will never forget.
This is your "Gotcha Day" and somewhere around 2 or 3 today we will embrace you for the very first time. This thought is hard for me to bare as I know how much joy it will bring to us, I must also in love acknowledge the pain it will bring to your foster family and the confusion that it will bring to you. At this early age of yours you are unsure of the change surrounding you, however we will walk this journey together. Side by side, hand in hand, day by day; we will be there for you the way our great Father in heaven will be there for us. We will comfort you when you are sad, protect you when you are scared. We will encourage you when you are down, and hold you when you are lonely. Mama and Baba will lay our hands on you praying the scriptures over you, that you might be led by the Spirit. We will embrace your uniquenesses and honor your heritage; all the while we celebrate your likenesses and cherish your name.
Today you will become Meili Joy Carpenter. Daughter to Travis and Jessica Carpenter. Sister to Austin James and Justus Reed, granddaughter to Sharon and Jerry Miner, Karen and Tom Lewicki, and Harold and Ann Carpenter. Amid these relationships you have cousins, aunts, uncles and greats and a special godmother. But above all these things you are a Chosen Daughter of our Father in heaven.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (Romans 8:14 NIV)
You are beautiful, precious, chosen, and wanted.
You are desired, and loved. You are and shall always be deserving of respect and honor.
You are Meili Joy Carpenter.
With a never ending, never stopping, always and forever love.
Baba.
This is the letter Travis wrote to Meili Joy around 4 am on her Gotcha Day.
Beautiful Travis! So happy for you and your family.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing your heart...
ReplyDeleteOur dear friend, Susan Smith, shared your blog with me just a couple of days ago and I've loved catching up! My husband and I are feeling strongly led to adopt internationally as well. We live in Chapin (just outside Columbia) but are in Charleston regularly as we have strong ties to MUSC and families there. Thank you for being such a beautiful inspiration. I know y'all are quite busy right now but I'd love to find out more about the agency you are using...that seems to be our biggest decision right now. Thanks so much & GOD Bless your family of FIVE!!! :)
Rebecca
rsbutcher@bellsouth.net
A letter to a daughter that she will cherish for all of her life. Just beautiful, Travis!
ReplyDelete