Happy Thanksgiving

I took this picture on January 1, 2007 in Big Sur. Nick and I were taking a road trip from Oakland to Carmel to Cambria to Santa Barbara and back. It was a really fun time - we celebrated Nick's 30th birthday, brought our huskies, and enjoyed 75 degree days in Santa Barbara.

On this Thanksgiving Day 2008 I am grateful that I have been able to have so many wonderful experiences like the one I just described. I am thankful I have a partner to share those experiences with and I am thankful that we have been blessed with the ability to travel and explore so much of the world.

I am grateful that we have so many people in both of our lives who have been supporting us and supporting our adoption process. I am thankful that we will be able to have a son next year and experience the joys of parenthood.

It's really easy to get bogged down with all of the crud that is going on in our country right now - weak housing market, stocks in the toilet, lots of job losses, etc...It is, however, sobering to think that in countries like Ethiopia the struggles that many families face are so basic - do we have enough food to feed everyone? can I get medical attention if I need it? where will we get money from to buy clothes? do I need to relinquish my child so he have a chance to live and grow-up to be an adult?

Today, over all other things, I am thankful for the woman who brought my son into the world. I am thankful that she loved him so much that she made the biggest sacrifice a mother can make in the world. I am grateful that she gave him a strong spirit which has allowed him to flourish in an orphanage while he waits for us to get him. I am grateful that we have a chance to raise this beautiful baby and nurture him so he can grow-up and realize his full potential.

I can't even intellectualize what Jost's birth mother went through and how she was able to make the painfully hard decisions she did. It's very, very strange to think that in the midst of all of the happiness Nick and I feel regarding our son, the events that have led up to our adoption of him have been very tragic. My greatest hope is that we can raise a man who will be able to give back to his community and will be able to inspire hope in others. Interestingly enough, Jost's nickname in Ethiopia is "Father of Hope" because the people working for BFAS in Addis feel like he is full of potential and his story is an example of the hope of a better life for him through adoption. Wow, that is mindblowing...

Have fun with the people you love today. We are looking forward to next Thanksgiving when we'll be a family of 3 (plus 4 fur-babies)!

Gratefully,
Sarah and Nick