"We often think of the intersections in our lives, those that are planned, those that occur by chance. Some encounters we hope for, particularly love, and alas, some meetings never happen despite what we wish. I think of how those intersections have the potential to change us, our character, our circumstances, our hopes. We think about how they add to the unfinished story of our lives"...(Amy Tan, Mei Mei, 2005) Chinese folklore speaks of invisible red threads that connect a newborn child's spirit to all the people who will be important in the child's life. As the child grows, the threads shorten, drawing closer those people who are destined. We anxiously await this special meeting, a life changing intersection which will soon take us to China to bring home our little daughter, Cali Griffin.

December 22, 2010

Referral Acceptance

On 12/17 we received a phone call from our case worker...wonderful news...Cali Jean’s RA (referral acceptance), China’s official acceptance of our adoption, arrived at our agency and earlier than expected! Yes, we can now submit the last bit of paperwork before travel approval...oh wait...Glitch in process...we are still waiting for another piece of immigration paperwork...12/20...Bob checks mail...large manilla envelope...US Immigration office...sweet, it’s here...mad dash to put all of the pieces together...late afternoon 12/20...2 Fed Exes off to Virginia and Texas...the journey moves forward!

We’re now compiling our visa information and working with our agency on travel plans. This truly is a Merry Christmas for the Griffin Family...our hearts are full of great love for our little Cali already and we can’t even imagine how that love will multiply when we are able to hold her in our arms. We have been deeply reminded, through the last month, of God’s many blessings. Our Thanksgiving phone call and “speedy paperwork turnarounds” just before Christmas, are clear evidence that God has had this precious little girl in His plan for us all along. He is moving in very special ways to shorten that red thread that connects our lives to our sweet Cali Jean.

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December 13, 2010

Thank you so much for all of your emails, phone calls, and shared excitement!

We appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers as we work through the paperwork and red tape that separates us from our trip to China and bringing Cali home. As we started four years ago in one immigration track and now have had to update everything in another track, we were told last week that it actually will take longer to process our paperwork. Our caseworker is guessing that we may now travel at the beginning of April. This was a bit frustrating to hear, but there is obviously not a thing that we can do about government procedures and policies. These "procedures" and ever extended time lines are the most frustrating part of the adoption process, but I'll leave that soap box for a future blog entry.
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