Tallis will turn four years old on Thursday, the 5th of August. That day will also mark eight months home. Some days it seems as though she’s been here forever and some days it seems like she’s just arrived. Life has changed drastically. The past eight months have been joyful, painful, crazy, hilarious, beautiful, and altogether amazing. Adoption is so much more than we thought it would be. By that, I just mean that there’s so much more than meets the eye. For Tallis, we’ve spent the past eight months not only helping her to accept and adapt to her new life, but also doing our best to retrain her after three and a half years of a different kind of conditioning. Her first year is a mystery, and the next two and a half were spent in an institution. When I look at my daughter, I just can’t fathom that all of that is true! Despite our struggles (and we’ve really had some!), she never ceases to amaze me with her resilience. She has changed our family for the better. God used Tallis to draw my husband and I closer to Him, to each other, and to become better parents. God orchestrated His might during the entire process to get Tallis home, and for the past eight months He has taught us a great lesson in love, compassion, self-control, and faith. We have needed Him, cried out to Him, and He has met us where we were EACH AND EVERY TIME. And why did He do this? The answer could not be more pertinent…

“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

-John 14:18