Four

He is a treasure.

Four years ago, we were handed a terrified and grief stricken little boy. He had never seen or heard people like us. That little boy, in under three years had endured more than I can comprehend. Trauma, abandonment, brain surgeries, hospitalizations all by himself with limited pain management and no one to comfort him, innumerable losses, instability and heartache.

Yet no one I know exudes the joy and courage that this little one does. He has changed my heart, shattered my understanding of love and given me a front row seat to the reality of the Gospel. Every day, I have a living and breathing representation of the Gospel.

Not to mention, he is the most amazing brother, so full of compassion, kindness and understanding and maybe the funniest six year old I know. Oh, and he’s smart (like he’ll be surpassing my knowledge in the very near future!). Adoption is a battle. A lifelong battle. It is hard. It is broken. It is grief upon grief. It is choosing loss. It is embracing pain. It can be an unbearable fight, so often requiring more of you than you think you can give. But it is a treasure beyond what words can describe. The depth of its heartache is only outshined by its incredible beauty. Brokenness and pain, if you allow it, can transform from the darkest shadow to the most radiant light. What Kai has gained in being adopted by us does not even slightly compare to what we have gained in him. #hopewins #bringkaihome #familyday#chinaadoption