Thanksgiving Reflections

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I'm having a hard time putting my thoughts to paper so forgive me if this is a bit jumbled, but I do want to share. I am running a Thanksgiving Day 5k tomorrow morning and immediately afterwards Jeremiah is running his first Kids Fun Run 1k. He is adorably excited about it and cannot wait for people to cheer for him.

All day today I have been emotional thinking about him running this race. It was 4 years ago that the Lord first called me to begin running and I ran this same race on Thanksgiving day, 2008. See, we had been trying to conceive a baby for several years and we had lost 2 babies to miscarriage. Al & I both felt like this run was unto Jeremiah. I didn't really know what that meant, just that we were committed to do anything the Lord called us to, not to waste any days just waiting. Each time we trained we prayed for the baby boy God had promised, but also asked what else He might have for us in our season of preparation. When I ran that race I was carrying a teeny tiny little guy that only God knew existed. I found out the Saturday after Thanksgiving that I was pregnant. Now that tiny little miracle is a walking, talking, running little boy!

He doesn't know what this race means for me, but I do. The bigger picture for us this year is that Jeremiah and I  are racing to raise support to bring the next member of this family home through adoption. I look forward to a night like this in the future when I can sit down and blog after the kids are in bed and remember the race Jeremiah ran for his brother Luke, still unknown to us in Ethiopia. I know that Thanksgiving I'll be a mess watching my boys run side by side, a couple of promises fulfilled. Don't worry, Iris will be right there with them! I'm confident she won't let them do much without her.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, encouraged us and sowed into this adoption financially! We are so thankful for each of you! We are very close to having another payment to send in and then we'll be starting our home study! Exciting days ahead!

If you see me tomorrow at the race, don't be surprised if you see a few tears of joy. God is so good and I am ever thankful for his faithfulness. He who promised, truly is faithful.

Martha