China Adoption and Ladybugs

You may not know that ladybugs have a special meaning to those of us in the Chinese adoption community. The Chinese adoption myth is that ladybugs are a sign of good luck. I am not one that believes in luck but I do appreciate the symbols ladybugs represent. The other day I was trying (I say "trying" because as Cate will tell you I bawled through the whole thing.) to read the kids this book called Shaoey and Dot by Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman. Great book that gives kids a little insight into how the babies come to be in need of adoption. The main characters are Shaoey (the first little girl that the Chapman's adopted) and Dot (the cute little ladybug that befriends her and stays to keep an eye on her). The illustrations by Jim Chapman are inspired.This morning as I was preparing a special breakfast for the kids (a bowl of Reece's peanut butter and chocolate cereal!), I found a little ladybug sitting on the cabinet. It probably means nothing, but with all the stress of trying to get last-minute paperwork done so our travel is not delayed, I sure needed that smile. Just as Dot watched over Shaoey in the book, I know that God is watching over our adoption journey. It is in His hands and no matter how long this takes or what hurdles we have to jump, it will happen in God's perfect timing.