Joy Rexamined

I haven't done a good job of updating our blog. There was a lot of work to be done in preparation for our trip to pick up O. Since we've been home, we've just been enjoying getting to know him, loving him, and having fun as a new family of six.

It's now Christmas Eve, and I find myself reflecting over the past month and our trip to pick up our sweet boy. So much has happened. It is almost like having a newborn, and watching the changes that occur between the birth and the time the baby is a month old.

I'll have to sit down some other time and write about our pick-up trip. It still seems so surreal, and yet here we have the proof. It was a precious time with the Daddy Guy and getting acquainted with Baby O.

For now, we're doing well. Baby O is adjusting beautifully. His sweet demeanor and infectious laughter charms everyone around him. He seems to be attaching well, reaching for the Daddy Guy and I, while eyeing unfamiliar people curiously.

I must say, having O come home the weekend before Thanksgiving has caused this Christmas season to look a little different than years past. We've run less, and talked more. We've slowed down. Yes, there has been some hustle and bustle thanks to doctor appointments, but that has caused us to embrace the quiet days even more. We've had to say "no thank you" to some sweet invitations, but we know our friends have understood.

During it all, O has taught us something. He has taught me so much about JOY. Here is a child who has been in either a hospital or an orphanage since birth, and he exudes joy.

 

 

The child who has had nothing is happy about everything.

 

 

We are finding joy in so many small things that we've never thought about before. Every morning, when I go in the little boys' room to get O from the crib, he gets so stinkin' excited to see one of us. All of the older kids' antics are something to laugh about. He's thrilled at mealtime. This isn't just a temporary happiness. It is true joy. How does this kid who has spent so much time alone in this world have so much joy?

 

He has caused me to take a second look at my own thoughts and attitudes. Am I choosing joy? How can I choose joy at this time? And where does my joy come from?

 

During this Christmas, I hope that each of you can find where true joy originates. It's not from anything here on Earth. It comes from the One who came to save us all.