Gratitude

During the past two weeks we have experienced a broad range of emotions. We felt anticipation at knowing if our dossier was complete and accurate. Then during the early evening on Monday, January 29th... Michael suggested that I check my email because he saw there was a message from from our social worker at CHSFS. The message stated that our dossier "looked great" and that we had officially obtained the status of a Family Waiting for a Referral. Michael and I had originally planned on celebrating this news by going to Lulu's, an Ethiopian restaurant located here in Milwaukee, but I had already prepared dinner. So we made a toast to reaching the next step and enjoyed a celebratory dinner at home.

An hour later the mood in our home fell, as I received the unexpected news that my Grandma Kremkow had died that day. My heart sank. The next week was spent making travel plans, attending her funeral and grieving with family.

The reason I titled this post "Gratitude" is due to the fact that although I am still in the process of mourning the loss of my grandmother, I celebrate our time we had together. I am grateful for our countless conversations, holiday & summer visits and 32 shared birthdays. I am also thrilled that our upcoming adoption brought her much joy and pride.

The past two weeks have reminded me to be grateful for the path that I have been able to travel on, regarding things I can choose and those things out of my control. And I know that where ever my life takes me I will have a special guardian angel watching over me every step of the way.


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