Happy Birthday, Mihret!

To my beautiful little Mihret,

Today you are 6 years old!!! I doubt you're aware that today is your birthday, but my prayer is that by this time next year you will be here in America celebrating with our family. Did you know that in our family, the tradition is to fill the living room with balloons? Oh, and we don't always do this, but a particularly fun birthday tradition in our family is to eat cake and ice-cream for breakfast. (But that only works when the party was the weekend before). Your birth- mother, Denkenesh, must have been so thrilled to pieces on this day just six years ago! She must have marveled at your little toes and your enormous chocolate eyes. I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on you, well, your picture; they said that you were just 3 years old! And you were so beautiful to me that day. And just to think that only a couple of months ago, when I accepted that you wouldn't be home for your birthday, I was so sad that I wouldn't know you before you turned six! Isn't our God so good like that? He was so good to give us the opportunity to know each other while you were still five, wasn't he? My beautiful little baby, someday soon, I pray that I will be holding you in my arms again, but next time, for more than just a few hours. Forever sounds like a much better plan to me! Soon...

With Love,
Mom