1 year ago today we met Amon for the first time.
Long before we saw his face I sat in church one day and God led me to Amon’s verse…the verse I would hold tight too and will forever be Amon’s.
“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the JOY we have in the presence of our God because of you?” 1 Thessalonians 3:9
It’s so very true. He is joy. And he brings Joy. He makes joy well up and a smile stretch across your face. When we met Amon our hearts were forever changed, yet again. This kid owns every.single.one.of.us. We are all so smitten and I love hearing Harper, Huddy and Sol all just make over him like he’s the grandest thing on Earth. We are so glad we decided to take Harper with us to meet Amon for the first time. They have a crazy sweet bond and I always imagine them being very best friends as they grow…despite being the oldest and the youngest. She absolutely adores him…makes over him…brags on him…mother hens him to death…and he always saves his biggest smiles just for her.
I sat yesterday and just cried like the biggest baby ever as I looked through pictures and watched videos of our first time with Amon in Ethiopia. I was so overwhelmed by God’s goodness. God has been incredibly gracious to our family and just blessed us beyond our wildest dreams.
The road to Amon was not easy…in fact, our process to Amon contains my most heavy hearted moments of my life. I lost mom and I just don’t know if I’ve longed for something as deep and as hard as I longed for Amon. My heart and head learned a great deal about God and His love and sovereignty. And even more, I learned God is always in control and even when we don’t think we see Him moving and working, He is. He is always there…in the pain, in the longing, in the grief, in the overwhelming, suffocating moments; He is there. And then He’s there in the joy too.
Sometimes the hardest things yield the most beautiful outcomes. In our case, Amon brought joy and hope. And God used a terribly hard part of our lives and this absolutely incredible child to renew our spirits, change our hearts and add to the loveliness of our family once again. So today, no matter what the day holds, I’m just thankful. So thankful and grateful to God for hard roads and beautiful outcomes. And for joy. Joy is such a beautiful thing.
Dear Amon,
We all love you like crazy. We are completely wild over you. Thank you for just being your joyful self.
Love, Mom
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So beautiful. Your love for your kiddos makes me want to be the best version of a mom I can be. Thank you!
Dear Amon,
We who have never met you love you too. Thanks for letting your mom share your smiles and trials with us.
Love, Us
p.s. to Laura – thanks for sharing the hard roads with us as well as the joys. You remind me to keep the joy and beauty in mind when I’m knee deep in mud down in the valley. I hope our cyber support helps you some days too. 🙂
I started following you about 9months ago, I was pregnant with my 4th child and remember thinking we had so many things in common. I would read your blogs about your mom and how hard it was…I remember being thankful that We did not have that in common. I had my sweet little guy 2months ago and 1 month ago I lost my sweet baby brother. I wished that we did not share such a sad thing but your blog has really inspired me. Hebrews 6:19 has gotten me through so many hard days and that verse never would have stuck out if it wasn’t for you. Thank you! Thank you for being real! Thank you for not only talking about the good stuff. Thank you for helping me survive such a terrible loss.
Hey Laura!
I am the (not) creepy stalker that was in Aldi with your cousin, Amy, this week! I love love love your words, and I loved hearing Amy talk about what a joy your kids were to her and her family!
Happy weekend!
love~