Today I am doing photographs instead of an un-photographable post.

I got some pictures today from an adoptive mom who was in Ethiopia and visited AHOPE and spent time with the little kids. She sent me a great collection of pictures of Belane and her friends.

I also got a few pictures from another volunteer who spent some time at “little” AHOPE. Although she didn’t know we were adopting Belane when she was there, she captured her in two fun pictures which she passed on this week after we connected on an email group.

This first picture I love because it shows just how beautiful her eyes are. It made me cry the first time I looked at it because she just seems to be saying, “Mom, where the heck are you??” Her name means “iris” like your eye, and in a girl’s name it means “the window I see the world through” or “the window to my soul”. This little girl is a piece of my soul.

The second picture I love because it shows her silly side. I have had a few people describe her as playful and silly, which if you read my “Ethiopian comedian post”, means she’ll fit right in. I also like it because she still has her hair!!!!

There are days that all this waiting is more difficult than others. It is frustrating to me that we would be leaving in the next couple of weeks with the rest of our travel group if our government didn’t make things so difficult. It’s also frustrating that it takes so dang long to get a few simple paper looked over and approved.

But it is what it is, and I know from experience that as hard as this is now, that soon she’ll be home, and much like labor, all this painful waiting will fade into my memory. (Now you all need to keep reminding me of that when I get real whiney!)

Today I am truly grateful for all of the people who take the time to visit AHOPE and who take the time to take photos of my Belane and pass them on to me. All these pictures help us to feel connected to her and know how she is doing, and make all the waiting just a little bit easier.