Silver Lining

As most of you know, JR and I are on a quest to finance our final adoption attempt. It's a tough process just getting the money together to begin the tough process of adopting, but obviously, it's a situation where the potential for joy far outweighs the struggles to get there.

We have a couple of fund raising ideas working, beyond the standard Don't Buy So Much Crap, and always popular Put More Money in the High-Interest Savings Account (opened specifically for adoption funds) because you're not buying so much crap. I'm selling some of our things on Ebay, and Amazon, and I even have something more creative that I'm gestating.

Our biggest event though, is a yard sale that we've slated for the first Saturday in May. We live on a busy street (city living at it's finest!) and we've had successful yard sales in the past. This time though, we're not just selling our own junk, we're selling junk donated to us by friends and family. It has been a humbling experience to be the recipients of such generosity. To date we've been given expensive baby swings, double jogging strollers, a brand new in the box Graco stroller, a FIREPLACE and mantel (yes, really), DVD towers, a laptop, a scanner, a couple of tables and now....the contents of B's house.

I like to think that it goes without saying that we would much rather have B alive, and here, watching Grasshopper grow up, than to have all of his stuff for our yard sale. But, the fact is that B isn't here, any more, and life moves on whether or not you're ready for it.

So now we're sifting through the accumulated things that 31 years of life, and 7 years of home ownership provide. It is beyond sad, walking into B's house with no dogs barking, no music playing, no laughter. But it's also amazing, knowing that the loss of this person, who we miss so much, is going to bring us one step closer to adding a beautiful child to our family, one who will always know the role that "Uncle B" played in our bringing him or her home.

There's such poetry in life, when you open yourself to it.