It Takes A Village...

I started thinking the other day about how many people are involved in my everyday life as I know it today. I have been blessed and touched by so many people that it just makes my head spin to think about how many people care enough to be a part of my life and my kids' lives. I don't know how people manage without the "help" of others. My family is truly a testament of the old saying of "It takes a village to raise a child!". Maybe I am just more needy than others, but I have really been "helped" more than I ever thought possible through the last year or so. No matter how big or small the help may be, be sure to know that I truly appreciate all the help I have received and continue to receive everyday!! Here are just a few examples of those "helps" that mean the world to me in just random order as they come to me...

• Bloggers who detail their real life experiences
• My husband who has really handed me the dream on a silver platter
• Adoption friends who answer their cell phone when they really don't have time for another question from a newbie
• Boss who really gets what life is all about
• My sister for our regular 7:30am coversations
• Ms. Chris who really "gets" adopted kids
• Mom who makes a daily difference in our lives
• Lori for being the best friend ever
• Amy who keeps me smiling and offers reassurance in the medical dept and even rearranges her schedule to help my baby girl
• Dad who picks up whenever needed and even delivers to baseball games-on time
• Ellen who lets me live vicariously through her next adoption
• Sandy who remembers every event, holiday, birthday ever
• The Chapman's for opening a whole new world to me
• Nana who makes the best chicken and dumplings
• Joanna who rescues Caleb from ASP on a regular basis
• Blog readers who post comments just to keep me motivated and to know that they are still interested in our lives
• Liz who was there when I really needed her for my mommy meltdown
• Michael who keeps me in line with all things paper intensive or gadget involved
• Ms. Vickie who has really taken Shelby under her wing
• Kim who keeps me entertained on a regular basis
• All of the people who have prayed a special prayer for my family
• Heather who was instrumental in finding my baby girl just by sharing her story
• Gloria who manages to rearrange her schedule every time I need her to
• Scott who is the best baseball coach ever and who does it just because he loves his nephews
• Lucy who was the first to follow extensively to China
• Neighbors who treat my children like their own grandkids daily
• Tina for taking the call from a "stranger" the day I found Shelby and who reassured me that I could do this

I am sure I missed some of you out there who really have an effect on my life. Just please know that I am so happy to have such a great village surrounding my family. I really couldn't do it without you, so THANK YOU!