A Day in the Lives of the Urbans

Something really special happened today. I got a call last week from my husband's cousin's wife's mom....(confused?)....I don't see her very often, in fact it has probably been several years. She called to congratulate us on Ava, and then she said she wanted to come over to bring a "gift" for Ava and our family. About an hour later she was in my living room (along with my husband's cousin's wife...i.e. her daughter.....even more confused?) with a gift bag full of cards and a big check. Turns out, she is in a Beth Moore Bible Study through her church, and the ladies were studying the fruits of the spirit, and it happened that the week they were talking about "love", the article about our family adopting Ava had came out in the newspaper. One of the ladies brought the article to show as an example of the love of God, and this group of ladies so graciously and generously, in turn, took up a "love offering" for our family. When I opened the envelope, I was quite surprised and humbled to see the check, but it wasn't until they left, and I had a chance to read all the cards, that the tears began to flow. There was so much love in the words of these ladies, and heartfelt prayers for Ava and our family, that I really couldn't contain my emotions. I was glad I was by myself. Anyway, they invited Ava and me to come and visit, and that is just what we did this morning. They let me share a little bit about our adoption, then they circled the two of us and sang a beautiful song and prayed for us. It was so touching, and I am so grateful. I love how God brings people into our lives, even maybe ones we don't know, to lift us up in prayer and surround us with encouragement when we need it most. I hope they don't mind me including their picture on my blog, but it was just one of those things I really had to share.