One week from now will be the 2014 Chosen For Adoption half and full marathon in New Braunfels, TX. I am going for the full this year to raise funds for one of the adoption ministries back in Ukraine that we keep in touch with. I am trained up with a good 350 hot Texas summer running miles under my belt, tapered down and taking my week of rest before the race on Saturday the 25th!
Naturally the benchmark moments like this get you thinking and I've been chilling out (and coffee-ing up!) and reminiscing this morning. I remember the 2011 race where we did Team Tansey to raise support for the adoption of our two kids. We were so blessed with incredible support of friends and many distant contacts and strangers who became friends through the process. Amazing support from people who were only business contacts to begin with, and through the journey I discovered were truly amazing people!
Ironically I had to sit out our race with an injury, Dylan ran the half marathon (13 years old!) and rocked it (yes he is still faster than me any day...). All of our kids were 110% engaged in our process and own it's success as much as anyone. I remember all the paperwork (ugh!). Flying to Ukraine (long!). Our amazing facilitator (Oksana) who made it all happen wonderfully. Weather - we arrived at the end of the coldest winter in a century, and left at the early part of the hottest summer in 30 years!
Friends! To say God works in amazing ways would be an understatement as we were truly blessed by wonderful people in Ukraine who took care of their American visitors and made us feel at home 6,092 miles away from our house :) Andriy & Alex who would undoubtedly be my best friends. The food (it was really, really good :) Visiting the orphanage every day for 5 weeks getting to know our kids and their friends. Finding that love overcomes any language obstacles, and laughter overcomes my terrible grasp of the Ukranian language :) The intense joy of them becoming our kids. The sadness of so many other kids that remained without families (I still wear a black band on my right wrist to remember and pray for them.)
Very happy that ministries like Last Bell exist to try and care for the orphans who need a shot at having a life and not falling into the otherwise likely fates of prison, prostitution or suicide. Hoping those who did not get adopted make it (many great kids with all kids of potential!).
Glad I get to wake up and give Kayleigh and Michael all the hugs I want now. To play and joke with them. To tell them I love them! To see how happy they are. To know they have a family, are truly loved. The daily amazement of how natural it is to have them in our family! To see their futures unfold before our eyes. To know those futures are bright!
We ran for them in 2011, for other adoptive families in 2012 and 2013, and for others now in 2014, and beyond!
Welcome to our blog! We are so excited that you would take the time to follow our adoption journey! Thanks for coming along for the ride as our adoption of Kayleigh and Michael was completed in May 2012 and as we embrace our new world of parenting five teenagers!
