Praise God we are home and we are not moving or on our way to be somewhere, etc.

We are home. Home.  Home.  Feels good to say and be.  Let me say it again, "home".

What an indescribable feeling to walk down the concourse of PTIA after flying for a cumulative 15 hours and traveling for about a straight 24 hours and see "Welcome Home Levi" signs.  Just beyond words and then to hear the cheers.  It was as good as homecomings get this side of heaven.  We were home.  Levi was home.  The next chapters begin and life unfolds.

Grateful.  Thankful.  Empty. Exhausted.  Walking because you know that's what you know you're supposed to do to get from one point to another. 

I just reread some of the journal entries from the days just passed.  Whoa.  That's an interesting thing to do.  How emotional.  Can't do that right now.

The actual event of the plane travel almost seems inconsequential at this point.  While I never assume, repeat never, to know what birth pains are like--I have a feeling the 13 hour plane ride you share with a couple of hundred people could be synonymous to labor.  I won't take that analogy any further, but you get the picture.  Maybe you tend to forget the details there too except for the dear lady Natalie that sat beside us who never had children and was overjoyed to share our journey with us.  And the flight attendants that could have never been more helpful.  And then the 2 people that gave up their seat for us to have the bulkhead.  Thank you.

We did enjoy the reunion at the airport.  How refreshing and energizing to get us the rest of the way home.

We arrived home to yellow ribbons, American flags, food in the fridge, mowed lawn, clean house, groceries & diapers in the van, stroller ready to ride and a car seat installed.

And there's a treasure to share.  Laura & Tymm Hoffman along with Sandra, Laura's mom assembled the most remarkable book of love for our family and Levi.  More than a scrapbook, but such a "Story About You" ready to share with Levi to recount the steps that we took to receive him as our own.  A book that comes from hearts that God is filling to overflowing with His purpose and His own miraculous journey of family and love.  His perfected love.  We do not take for granted the gift, and especially the hearts from which this gift of love was born.  Truly a labor of love and a sacrifice of worship to the Father in your own journey.  Tymm, Laura and Sandra-thank you and we were so humbled that you drove from Atlanta to share the homecoming!  We were so blessed. 

Family and friends.  We're home.  Our Chinese American family will sort of be dedicated tomorrow morning at church.  Our church's baby dedication is in the morning so we're making it to the 3rd Service.  We will be publicly dedicating this baby as we already have been along the way.  Giving him to the Lord before we ever had Him, because it seemed as though he was never to be ours . . . . ironic again, he isn't ours.  Levi is His.  We just happen to be the parents to raise, love and point him back to our Father.  Golly, just hits you out of the blue.  We're all adopted.