In the midst of an exciting 3-day weekend full of vacations, barbecues, sports, yard work, shopping, parties, dates, or whatever else you have on your schedule, please take at least one minute to pay tribute to the men and women who have so faithfully served, fought for and died defending the liberty of this nation.
This inspired tribute takes only one minute...
During Phase 2 of the adoption process, our agency requires us to collect, photocopy, or order certified documents pertaining to our family and our marriage. One of the required documents is a photocopy of our temple sealing certificate.
I was certain that our temple sealing certificate was in the same location with our other important documents, although I had not seen it in years. Perhaps since shortly after Clarke and I were married.
And this is where our story begins....
In April, as you might recall, we decided that we were going to participate in the neighborhood yard sale and were going to use the proceeds of the yard sale to help finance our adoption aspirations. For the following six weeks, the yard sale pile in our garage grew. As I purged our shelves and closets of books, I remember glancing at a wayward stack of books on my nightstand. The books were more decorative than useful and I had not opened them in years. Ironically, they were decorating books. :) Recognizing that they might be of value to someone, I tossed them into the yard sale pile without a second thought.
Here is a little gem for you: If you're going to have a successful yard sale, sell lots and lots of books. Books sell!!!
The decorating books sold easily at our yard sale.
The woman who purchased the decorating books is not a member of the LDS faith, but as she pulled the temple sealing certificate from the pages of one of the decorating books, she knew that the certificate probably had some significant meaning to the people whose names were printed on it.
She called her brother, who was a member of the LDS church, to ask him if he knew the people whose names appeared on the certificate. Not only did he know them from church, he also lived just around the corner from the couple. Small world.
That's when Clarke received a phone call from the man in our story and Clarke learned that this man's sister had found our sealing certificate; the very same week we needed it for our adoption process.
Had we not sold that decorating book to that particular woman, this story might have had a very different ending. Had we not sold the book at all, we still would not have our sealing certificate because what dummy sticks an important document in a decorating book?? Me, apparently.
Blessedly, our story features a happy ending. We have our temple sealing certificate back and it now resides with other important documents. Furthermore, we were able to turn in that photocopy to our agency when they needed it. I know it would not have been the end of the world had we not found our sealing certificate, but it sure does feel humbling to know that we are being watched over and blessed throughout the adoption process. It's a confirmation that it's the right time for our family to be adopting.
Eeeeeeee! You're coming, right?! Let me know if you need directions!
Please, please, please come!
All the proceeds from the yard sale will go to our adoption fund!
The See Brothers. May 2010.
Once upon a time I was a little girl who threw monumental fits.
You're shocked, aren't you?
Char, a drama queen??? Whatever.
When I was in the throws of yet another "that's not fair" sob-fest, my mother would calmly look into my hysterical, tear streaked face and say three magic words.
Don't. You. Smile.
And that was it. I was a broken tot who could no longer suppress the silliness behind my tantrum and in that "magic words" moment, flashed my foolish grin and erupted into second fit, this time in the form of giggles.
Naturally, when I became a mom, I lavished in the deliciousness of using those same magic words to transform a conniption fit into pure, unbridled laughter.
And it works for Brock.
Every. Single. Time.
I wonder if it works on husbands...
