"This is my favorite celebration of all"

That is what Mei Mei said at dinner Friday night. We went to eat at Dragon Palace in Daniel Island. It's our new favorite Chinese Restaurant. Everything is new to us around here, but we've all decided that this is "our" place. The place where we will go to celebrate anything and everything : )  That place for us has always been Chinese food and has always been South Seas in Slidell, LA. We first went there before Izzy came home and actually brought her picture in a frame and set it on the table. I know....weird, right? We were celebrating her 2nd birthday while she was still in China. So that became our place. For birthdays, Gotcha Day anniversaries, Christmas Eve...you name it, we celebrated there. So we had to find a new place and some friends sent us to Dragon Palace and we LOVED it.
We were delayed in celebrating our Marianna being home two years because of the hurricane and the move to SC. She didn't mind though. She had a wonderful time at dinner with her family. She smiled the entire time. Marianna can get easily lost in the shadow of her bigger than life sister and her newly home baby brother. I work hard to make sure she knows her place in our family and how special she is to us. I don't ever want to have that middle child therapy session. So being the center of the celebration was really sweet for her. I know she truly felt as special as she is. I spent a lot time this last week thinking about when we met her and the journey we've been on together. It's not always been easy, but it's always been blessed. Our journey to her from day one was nothing short of miraculous. Every single step was divinely planned. Now, I believe that our journey to all of our kiddos was divinely planned, but Mari's journey in particular was so obvious in this way. God showed up over and over and blew us away by His orchestration of events. He moved mountain after mountain for her to be united with her family.  Her journey became such a witness to the greatness of our God. It grew our faith exponentially. Reflecting on all of that over the past few days God reminded me gently that I haven't seen but a glimpse of what He will do with her life. I'm amazed daily by this child and yet God has such awesome plans for her. Plans I cannot imagine. Her life itself is a witness to the greatness of our God. The benediction that Seacoast uses at ever service comes to mind:

Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

I can't imagine what He will do with her life because what He has done already amazes me. A child abandoned on the very day she was born now such a loved daughter, sister, granddaughter and niece.
Oh my Marianna....you are so loved. Here's to the two amazing years with you and the years to come.

This is the moment I met her....with a yogurt drink and a sucker in her mouth at the same time. To think that I was shocked that she could hold her drink without spilling it. God was probably thinking "hmm...you ain't seen nothing yet" Last Friday night while celebrating her two years home she ate the entire meal with chopsticks. I can't use chopsticks, but this little one with one half of one hand ate the whole meal with chopsticks. "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" !!!

This is one year home....at this point I have just a clue that I've got my hands full. This little thing is a force to be reckoned with... To God be the glory !

 

Just a glimpse at who she might be one day. A beautiful, strong, child of God !