LID - A Date To Remember

This is the date we will remember. This is the date that China knows who we are. This is the date that makes her "real". That's right - we have our long awaited Log-In-Date! We received word today that we were logged-in to China's adoption system on September 4, 2007. This date signifies so much. It is basically our "starting point". From this point on, we will endure the process knowing that we have a place in the waiting line - the very long waiting line. Looking back to what it took to accomplish this feat is quite rewarding, really. Knowing that nine months of preparation has finally paid off with "LID 9-4-2007" is just enough for right now. Yet our joy at the news of our LID is tempered by reality. We do not know what the next few years will bring. We know that we will face plenty of heartache, plenty of frustration. Some days we think we can wait forever. Some days we think we can't possibly wait as long as it's going to take. But someday Raina will be here. We may probably never be able to express in words how this process has changed us. For now, our LID is just a date to remember - a date to mark on the calender. But this date means so much more. "9-4-2007" means that one day a little girl will be born. A little girl whose parents may not be able to care for her. A little girl who will be painfully abandoned and left alone. A little girl who will long for arms to hold her, for a family that will never let her go. A little girl with black hair and a beautiful smile. A little girl named Raina.

September 4, 2007. Yes. A date to remember, forever.