Thanksgiving

It was Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, one year ago that I first saw Lydia on the waiting child DVD from my agency. It was so hard to wait until Monday for the agency to open to ask if she still needed a family and if I could adopt her. It both seems like just yesterday and a million years ago at this point. It's hard to believe we've had Lydia safe and sound and home in our family for eight months now.

Tonight at Tae Kwon Do the instructor ended the session telling the kids to have a happy Thanksgiving. One boy raised his hand and started telling all the things he would be doing for Thanksgiving - one Thanksgiving on Thursday and then to great-grandma's for another Thanksgiving on Friday, etc. Even though the instructor wasn't in the position to have kids share just then, Lydia raised her hand after that and he did call on her. She said in a matter-of-fact way, "I've never had a Thanksgiving."

Well, the peanut gallery (a bunch of moms and dads packed in tightly on four little benches watching the practice) smiled and went silent on that one. It even melted the instructor's heart (who has been great but who does also occasionally get exasperated with Lydia) and he told her that this would then be her first. I also had a big smile on my face because I am so thankful that our wonderful Lydia is here with us for her first Thanksgiving at nine years old.