It's About Time

I am pleased to report that I am finally working on a scrapbook/life book for Gwen. I had purchased some supplies before we moved to Shanghai to start working on this project, but got hung up when I realized that I really wanted it to be more than just a photo album of pictures from our trip to get her. An adoption life book is intended to tell the story of the child's life, which in Gwen's case included twenty-one months before she joined our family. I wasn't sure how to address the whole issue of her birth parents and why she was in an orphanage... we don't know the reasons ourselves, we can only speculate. So, I got stuck. I did the front page and that was it.

Early last spring I got inspired to finish the book in time for Gwen's 4th birthday. I did a little research on the internet about life books, and looked at some sample pages that helped me create a couple more pages that told about her birth in China, and the fact that she grew in her Chinese mother's belly. I was really pleased with these pages, but couldn't come up with what came next... why her Chinese parents' couldn't keep her.

So the book sat. For six months, I have done nothing. Then the other night, when Scott and I were riding our bikes through the dark streets of Jinqiao to our small group meeting, I thought about it again, and I had some ideas. Scott and I talked about them a little. When we got home some hours later, I sat down at the computer and typed out my ideas. I showed Scott and he said he he wouldn't change any of it.

So now I've been working again. I've spread scrapping supplies out on the table, and I've churned out the tough pages and even moved on to the really fun, easy pages with pictures of the day we met our girl. Gwen has seen what I'm doing, and is telling everyone that, "Mom is making a book for me."

Whew. It feels good to be working on this. I am so thankful that God has given me the words to say in this book, this account for Gwen of His plan for her life. I'm not finished yet, but now I know I can do it.