Letters

Lalie and I are just finishing up some Valentines to send to L. in the mail tomorrow. Even though she won't get them in time for Valentine's Day, it seemed appropriate to send hearts. I think this will be the fourth piece of mail she will have received from us. Another family is leaving a week behind this one so we'll send another letter then. Our adoption agency's rules are that - aside from the welcome bag - you can only send a few photos, letter(s) and/or stickers (because kids can share them with others). Families can't send more than that because it is already hard on the feelings of the kids who don't yet have families waiting for them without adding gifts to the mix. In this envelope I also included a map I printed of the United States with Washington circled as well as a map of Washington with our town circled. One of the girls at her orphanage who is her same age will be coming home to a family who lives about an hour from us so I put that on the map too. It will be nice for her to know a friend (I'm hoping/assuming they're friends!) from Ethiopia will not be too far away.

It's kind of funny sending mail to L. When I get the mail ready I print out whatever the latest pictures I have of her and paste them onto the front of the envelope along with her name and orphanage name. Then, I put that envelope in a larger envelope and send it on to the traveling family in time for their departure to Ethiopia. The pictures I have gotten of L. have mostly been taken by traveling families so we're starting a cycle where someone takes her picture and then I get it from that family, print it out and put it outside an envelope to send to Lydia with another family. I wonder how all that feels from L.'s side of it - having your picture taken then seeing it a few weeks later coming back to you in the mail from your new family. Hopefully instead of letters we will be able to arrive in person soon, carrying letters for other families and repaying the favors that have been done for us. If all goes well, she will legally a part of our family in less than two days!