Tomorrow's the Day

Today is the last day we will call ourselves a family of three. We spent the day with Isabel at Lake Chinancocha. We decided that Isa needed it (or maybe I did.) What was supposed be a two and half hour drive took four. The roads were treacherous, but the scenery was phenomenal. Defenitely not the drive through The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Today Isabel's comment made us both realize that she will be mourning at the same time she is rejoicing.

"Mama, I like when it's just the three of us."

We have been extremely careful to help Isa process this change, and if you know her, she doesn't have an unspoken thought. That makes things a lot easier. So Luciana asked questions and discussed the new little sister with her. As Isabel thought about it, she realized that it would be like taking some of the other children Luciana has watched out on special events. She said, "well she can't really talk," which made her feel better. (Again, if you know Isa, you realize that sharing the "verbal floor" would be of great concern.) It's bigger... we know. The mourning and rejoicing will go hand in hand for awhile.

So tomorrow Luciana will take Isabel over to the orphanage and have caregivers do the two sisters' hair in the same fancy style before we go off to church. And that will be the begining of our family of four.

Thanks for your prayers. We truly could not do this without them.

Our last photograph as a family of three.

mbp