A Letter of Thanks

"So... I stupidly watched 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' the other night and I cried like a baby."

We received a card in the mail today from a friend I attended high school with.  Totally unexpected. I opened the card to find a letter inside and the above quote is the opening line.
It might or might not be common knowledge that I, also, accidentally watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower about a month ago thinking it would be a fun, happy-go-lucky kids in high school story. I started crying five minutes into the movie and sobbed through the entire thing. Not even going to try and save face here. It was an ugly, ugly experience that can only be compared to that one time I accidentally watched Third Star and realized 45 seconds into the movie that it was a huge mistake but I couldn't turn back then and I ended up sobbing for an hour after the movie went off and I walked around in a daze for nearly a week, absolutely traumatized.

The point here is movies, books, characters, stories all make me feel things. Strongly.

My friend has been following our adoption process since the start and has stopped in on each of our fundraising efforts to lend a hand or keep me company or donate or just be generally funny. I also hadn't been able to talk with her or spend any time with her really since our last fundraiser, which was almost 8 months ago.

Earlier this week, as we were planning and preparing for our pick up trip, we had an unexpected expense for the adoption pop up.  We didn't want to ask for help but with buying travel tickets, budgeting the trip, and Charlie missing two weeks of work while we travel, we had no idea how we would pay this expense and still be able to buy groceries once we got home.

Then my friend watches this movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and it makes her think of me. The Rocky Horror Picture Show scene, specifically, makes her think of me. And God lays it on her heart to send me a card. To write an encouraging letter that I nearly cried while reading. And to make a donation.

Randomly.

We're still not fully covered on that expense but I'm not worried about it at all anymore.
God's got this.
We're not doing this alone.
God's got us. He's got Ivan. He's got our entire support system of friends and family and He's working everything perfectly.

The support we have received during this process is absolutely immeasurable. There is no way to repay every kindness, word of encouragement, donation,  smile, or gesture made that has helped us along in this.
I've called a friend while in a complete panic and had this friend let me rave until it was out of my system then she gently talked me down back into a calmer, saner place. I've had friends stop by to show their support and it be the best part of my day, standing around the kitchen table discussing the adoption and everything but the adoption, as well.  I've had people I don't even personally know message us to offer to help with fundraisers. I've had a random woman in the store make me smile and feel better just by standing and discussing our different paths to family building and even though we had nothing else in common, we shared a common goal of wanting to parent a child and being able to do that through adoption.  We've had family step in and support us. We've had our church family holding us up in prayer and faithfully reminding us that we do have their support in every way as we bumble through this.

They say it takes a village.
They are not wrong.

Thank you.
Thank you each and every one.