Christmas

As Micah's first Christmas draws to a close, I sit in the dim glow of the Christmas tree reflecting on what an incredible year it has been for our family. Today has been a truly remarkable day, and for none of the ordinary reasons. Over the past several days, Rebecca and I have reflected on all of the families that have been built and have expanded this year through marriage, birth, and adoption. It is truly overwhelming.

I could not be more grateful for how our family has grown and by proxy been impacted this year.

I have thought a lot about Ethiopia over the past several months. It is the only place I have ever traveled that I have missed upon returning home. Last night as we prepared to go to bed, I couldn't help but wonder what was happening as the sun rose over Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Again I felt so grateful to be the father of one of Ethiopia's sons. We will forever be connected to Ethiopia and its people. By that intrinsic connection, we have been (and I suspect will be) richly blessed.

In two short months, we will again welcome another McGee into our hearts and home. It is strange for us to have a due date. It is even stranger that it is probably accurate. For three Christmases while we were waiting for Micah to come home, I optimistically said "maybe be by Christmas," (little did I know in 2008 that I meant the Christmas of 2011). In February, Jonathan Ezra Bridges will be born, and our lives will again be up-ended. I can't wait. If having a newborn looks anything like bringing home a jet-lagged eleven month old, 2012 will be another year to remember.

Over the past year, our lives have been a whirlwind of adjustment. We’ve been awake the better part of several nights, and we’ve learned to sleep again. We’ve changed not only first diapers, but more than we could ever count. We’ve learned one word, then two, then thirty-two. We’ve mastered walking. We’ve cried a lot, learned things about ourselves that we never knew, and rediscovered some things that we had forgotten were true. We have experienced enormous blessings and we’ve made mistakes. We have had our lives completely undone by a 19 pound human being, and we’ve put them back together to create a life that is a true gift and a blessing.

Merry Christmas!

Ryan