Rain, snow, sunshine....

It is getting colder outside. Tomorrow's forecast projects snow. Wouldn't that be lovely? Inside, I sit in my favorite chair...feet propped up onto the ottomon. My cozy warm sweater seems to hold off the chill in the air.
The phone just rang...and ironically it was our adoption coordinator through our agency. My heart sank just a little and I held my breath as I thought...'Is this the phonecall?!!' Unfortunately, she immediately squashed that thought with her introduction, "I am not calling with any great news, just checking in."
oooohhhh ...sigh...time to breathe. I knew it was probably not even possible, but a girl can dream can't she? It would have been nice for, "Shannon, we have some great news. We have your little girl!"
Nope..the news that she brought actually seemed to bring the chill right back. She said that they are possibly looking at even longer wait times. Currently, the time is approximately 1 year from acceptance date. Ours is August 8th. She went on to say that the time from referral to travel has also been extended. It used to be around 5 weeks. Now, it is approximately 4 months. So....let's do some figuring.
IF we get a referral before the courts close for the entire month of August, that would be the end of July, we would not travel until possibly December. IF we get a referral AFTER the courts close...meaning..in September, we are looking at NEXT year before we travel. Are you kidding me?!! It is still just the second month of 2009. Wow. It is highly possible that our little girl hasnt even been conceived yet.
Somedays, I am great with that and other days, it seems like an eternity.
As a matter of fact, it is harder when other newer agencies are able to process more quickly.
Our coordinator also confirmed that when Guatemala and Vietnam closed their countries to adoption, that those people transferred their requests to ET. This all happened after Chris and I had chosen ET but we were not on the waiting list. So, all those folks were able to quickly get in line before us. We almost chose Vietnam or Guatemala...but God led us to ET..instead..knowing our little girl is there waiting on us. It is in HIS hands.
I can't get depressed or sad for very long. There are things to do. Others are doing work on my behalf abroad. I need to get the things done here that must be done. Hi Ho Cheerio! Chin up! Look for the sunshine not the rain (or snow)!