I can see the finish line

It is hard to believe that in just 24 hours we will be in court to finalize our adoption of Kayla. When I sit and really think about where this journey has taken us, I am sometimes overwhelmed with emotion. We started this chapter in our life almost three years ago, thinking it would be a short "lap" around the track and we would finish the "race". Little did I realize the twist and turns , and huge ups and downs we would face. We were a family of 5 that decided to adopt "1" little girl. Not too long after beginning our "race" our family was changed forever. In what would be the equivalent of a three day weekend , our family was shattered and reduced to 4. The passing of Jamie was more than I could handle. Knowing that I would never see her smiling face or hear beautiful laugh, put me in the "pits" for quite a while. At that point I was ready to quit the "race", and just live as a family of 4. I did a lot of praying and searching, and asking God what he wanted us to do. The funny thing is , it was a little girl who used to be classmate of Jamie's that ultimately gave me direction. This little girl also has Angelman Syndrome , and one day when I visited Maddie at school for lunch and I saw Kaitlyn in the cafeteria eating her lunch. I walked over to say hello to her and her aid..............the problem was that her regular aid was not at school that day and different people were filling in. Kaitlyn looked so confused as to why they were not eating in the "normal" spot....she looked lost. By the time I got back home from visiting school I knew we had to continue on with our original plans. I knew I would always carry the pain of losing Jamie, but I also knew that we could help another child or two. I am not sure I could forgive myself if we did nothing. So, we got back out on the "track" and got back into the "race". Nine months ago we completed the halfway point when we finalized the adoption of Becca. Now we are just 24 hours away from finalizing with Kayla. I can see the finish line.......................What a "race" life can be. The thing is in most "races" it is your crew that decides whether you finish or not. I have to thank our parents, Lucas and Maddie, my co-workers and friends for helping us along the way..................I also have to thank Kaitlyn, without saying a single word she spoke volumes to me...........and ultimately I have to thank God.