Happy Birthday, Nadia!

Today is Nadia's birthday! I have another teenager, she turned 13 today. I am happy that Nadia has new opportunity, a new home and a new family. She continues to learn and grow and her English is remarkable. She is still a bit shy with new people and sometimes refuses to answer back to questions posed to her in English. I usually remind her that it is rude to not answer and this usually elicits a "hello" or "thank you" from her.

It is Teresa's birthday, too! She and Jim are in Ukraine right now and hope to bring their three boys home for good, right soon!

I often wonder about adoptive children's bio parents and whether or not such parents remember or reflect upon their former kids' birthdays. This started for me when we celebrated Rimma and Zina's birthdays for the first time last year. Is there someone on the other side of the world that thinks of our 5 children and remembers them on their special day. Someone bore them for 9 months and then gave birth to them, surely they remember this difficult and uncomfortable task.

If ever asked, I will tell our kids that their parents did the best for them that they could under very harsh circumstances and that it was God's plan to deliver them into our loving and waiting arms. I thank Him everyday for giving them to us and I pray diligently for Rimma and Zina's eventual adoption. Zina's predicament is ever-present in my thoughts and prayers.

~ Felix ~