Hard Words to Find

I have been trying hard all day to find the words to start this post and talk about today's events. It shouldn't be this hard to tell about your daughter's kindergarden graduation. The typical things like "bittersweet moment" and "so proud" just aren't big enough to express what today represented for Katie.

You see, from the moment we saw Katie's picture a little over three years ago and the Lord confirmed that she belonged to our family, we have been "cautioned" about her progress and development. 

When we called our adoption agency to tell them we wanted to submit a "Letter of Intent" to adopt her, Mei cautioned me "you know, love will not be enough for her to overcome her problems. They are deeper than that". (By the way - I am not faulting or criticizing that in any way; more agencies need to be much more realistic about the challenges these children have with prospective adoptive parents; too many people are being blind sided). 

At the medical clinic in Guangzhou, the doctor asked our guide to tell me "You know she will never be able to learn anything". 

Our school district tried to tell us just last March that Katie in all probability Katie would never learn to read and we needed to focus her goals on life skills so that someday she MIGHT be able to live independently. 

Today, Katie graduated kindergarden. She has meet better than 65% of the proficiencies standards for "typical" kids. She got an award for mastering her sight words. Most of all, she knew that she had accomplished a pretty big goal! 

This was about as far as I got before I needed a tissue! 

 Her SDC class - 

 They had the required performance before the awards (which in reality is REALLY hard for some of her classmates - and sometime her...way too much over stimulation as Isaiah will tell you!)

 Katie received an award for "most improved" today as well. Funny thing - they called her name as 'Katherine' - she and we missed it till her teacher had to call her up! 

 Have you ever seen someone prouder of herself? Doug, I, Tia Annie and Ali all started to sniff

We were amazingly blessed to have the most wonderful teacher this year. Mrs, Larsen believed in Katie - and held her to a high standard. She didn't always make the mark (who ever does anyway??) but because she had a teacher who believed she could, she achieved great thing.  

 She also had a couple of wonderful aides in her classroom as well - 

 And a pretty terrific speech and language teacher! 

 She was "busting her buttons" happy this morning! 

There are a few people back in China who I would like to send this too...and in our school district! 

There is little more that fills a momma's heart than watching her children blossom into who God designed them to be. We have no idea how this is all going to turn out for Katie - but if we go no further than today - it was worth every minute of every trial.