Tuesday, December 21, 2010

black and white Wednesday - the blessings of Christmas

For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Luke 1:37
Will blw Christmas web wm


And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Luke 2:10

Will Grace blw Christmas web wm
(This was a post written 2 years ago, it's been changed a little to where we are right now in our lives).


Five years ago on an early Christmas morning in China, a baby was born.
I imagine he had swaddling clothes and came from humble beginnings.  We will never know for certain but I do know his parents left him in a place where he could be easily found and cared for.  This baby boy had a large cleft palate and lip which made it extremely difficult for him to be fed. Fortunately he was placed into the hands of those who could help him and they did.
They not only saved his life but provided him a loving and nurturing home.
On the same day of his birth, on the opposite side of the world, a family celebrated their first Christmas in Wisconsin. Their lives had changed so much in the prior two years with the adoption of their daughter, changing jobs and moving from Chicago. They never dreamed that 5 years later, the baby boy born on the other side of the world....so fragile and innocent...would be celebrating his birthday and Christmas in their home as part of their loving family.
 Our lives are woven from many threads.

His name traces his journey.
The first name given to him was You Sheng which means "gift from heaven." 
 His second name was Michael, after his foster father.  We named him William and call him "Will" because he came to us by the "will of God," just as our daughter Grace came to us by the "grace of God."
When you start on an adoption journey, you never know the final destination or path that will be woven before you.
The wait may be agonizing at times, but worth it in all ways.

The first verse above reflects the "impossibility" of our family getting to where we are today. 
Will has become an integral part of our family after surviving enough ordeals in his brief time on earth to last most people a life time.  He's now a happy, sweet child who does not carry his past hardships as scars but rather faint memories of a past which fade each day. 
He's a joy and gift that we treasure.

The second verse refers to the "Christmas Miracle" and is an invitation to the world
to open their hearts to peace, love and hope.
 And we hope the invitation is accepted.
Giving (which is sharing what we have with others) is really what Christmas is all about.
No greater gift can we give than ourselves...our time, our love, our heads, our hearts
and for an orphan child...a family.
 Our Christmas miracle is also our family.
We all took different paths to get here but we are here now.
We combine our threads and weave the path forward...together.

2010card final front
This Christmas we joyfully celebrate the birth of Christ,
 and the 5th birthday of our son,
 William Michael Yousheng. 

Merry Christmas!
 May you find the blessings of Christmas - peace, love and hope...today and everyday.

With love from,
Gail, Dan, Nick, Grace
 and William





the long road

17 kind words:

Sammy said...

Beautiful pictures and story!

Missy said...

Soooo sweet! You are blessed by your children and they are blessed by you! Happy Birthday, Will! You are one cool little man!!!

Number 6 and no more counting! said...

absolutely eloquent!

Lea
xo

Unknown said...

Gail that was so beautifuL! Happy 5th Birthday to Will. Gorgeous photos of them.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

XOXO Jill
http://fnaphotography.blogspot.com

Love Letters To China said...

What a beautiful post. Those words speak volumes...filled with such love and devotion. We really are blessed beyond words with the children in our lives. I thank God each and every day for what we have.

May your Christmas be filled with joy and happiness...

Hugs,
Grace

Everything Beautiful Shay said...

Such a beautiful post~ one of those that makes me have chills and tears. Our children are a miracle of God and I am SO very thankful for them as you definitely are!!! Beautiful photos. I know this is crazy but I see a little JingJing in Will's face~ they favor to me. :) Precious~ must be the Fujian blood and love. :)
Blessings and Joy to your sweet family!

Marla said...

Beautiful post Gail. I hope Will has a wonderful birthday and that your family has a happy and blessed Christmas!

Courtney said...

What a beautiful post. Happy Birthday Will!

Wanda said...

Well worth repeating - A beautiful and poignant post Gail! You always touch my heart.

Happy birthday to sweet Will and may you have a blessed Christmas celebration.

Sending extra hugs to you all!!!

xoxox

RamblingMother said...

blessings to you and your family. What a lovely story of your son's beginning. I bet he loves to hear it told over and over.

Stefanie said...

Blessings indeed :)
Thank you for sharing about your precious Will and his miraculous beginnings!
Merry Christmas to you!

Dita said...

Your eloquent words and beautiful images paint such a tapestry of blessings...they brought tears of joy to my eyes.

Happy Birthday, William and Merry Christmas to all of you.

So touching.........

Dita

j-chin said...

Beautiful story, amazing pictures, God is working wonderful miracles through you, to change the lives of your children.

p/s: I've shared one of your pictures (under the post 'Decking the Halls') on my Facebook. I did put down the link to your blog. I share it because it is such a beautiful picture and i wanted people to read your blog, look at your amazing photography skill, be touched, be inspired, and even to adopt. Please let me know if you feel uneasy about me sharing your pictures on my personal FB, and I definitely will not do it again if you say so.

Faith Hope Love Photography said...

For beautiful! Happy Birthday handsome Will...hope you have the best one yet. Merry Christmas to you and your family...have fun and enjoy!

Kim said...

Merry Christmas my dear friend..
Love this post..
Love you ..
Have a wonderful week..

Jboo said...

Beautiful post and photos too. Your sweet Will -- happy birthday to your darling little boy!

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Janet

LaLa said...

what a wonderful Christmas miracle he is : )

 
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