Best Birthday Present

Gracie's 1st Beach Trip

On November 7, 2009 we landed in Portland Oregon and when the wheels of the plane touched the pavement on the runway Gracie Li Hope became a US citizen. It was the end of a long and miraculous journey to bring her home and the start of her new life of freedom. It was also my birthday and the best birthday gift I had ever received.

Sarah and Gracie

This year Gracie is experiencing another first, because of the generosity of a wonderful family who are letting us use their beach house, we are at the Oregon coast. Gracie was able to see the ocean for the first time and as she was looking out over that vast ocean to the west a couple of thoughts struck me. The first was how often when she was younger that Sarah had asked if China was across the ocean. This was even before we had decided to adopt and she would always talk about how she wanted to go to China. Looking back I think God was preparing her heart and ours even then. And now all of these years later Sarah was standing on the beach looking west over the vast ocean with her little sister to a place they had both experienced together.

My girls

I was also struck with how much Gracie's life had changed in one year. She went from being alone in a big world to standing on the edge of the world with her family as we strolled along the beach. At one point when the water came in she got scared and tried to run but the water caught up with her and she fell. It scared her and she cried out and we were there to pick her up. One year later it's still the best birthday present a guy could ask for.