My Soul Mate

When this walk with the adoption began, something struck me right away. My best friend Denise, was not on this walk with me. Denise and I have a special relationship. We met nine years ago when a toddler put a pair of little blue boots in the toilet! That was the beginning of a soulfilled friendship.

We have encountered so many of the same situations in our past lives - before our friendship even emerged - that would cause us to connect and know that we could talk about and share anything and know the other one would understand, like noone else ever could.

Through the course of the next nine years we have both been on the same page for each and every adventure the other one has had. Both of our families lived in suburbia and decided, basically overnight, to 'move to the country and homestead'. She moved hundreds of miles across America and we moved hundreds of miles across Canada. Both of us were hoping when this was happening that perhaps we might be moving closer to each other. It didn't happen that way. We moved further north and she moved only slightly closer.

While others thought we were all nuts, moving to who knows where, with no jobs lined up and no idea where we would all settle - we had each other. We would get the same encouraging bible verse on the same day; we would have words to encourage each other all along the way. We cried and laughed for each other.

I was to see her house in Florida before she moved to her country home. Then six years later I was to see her home in Tennesse, and while I was visiting I had the privilege of being there when an overnight decision was made to move to town - away from the boonies. I was there to see the huge, run down house that Denise was to later turn into an elegant home fit for a king!

My fourth son was born on her birthday - after she stated in early April when we thought he was going to be born - it was too early: "it's not my birthday, yet!" This happy child was to be the blessing to our friendship.

Later, she was to visit us in Canada just months after we made the decision to move to the town. The same decision she had made 10 months previously! So we were blessed that she was able to see our home before we moved on (just two months later).

While Denise and her daughter were visiting us on this spontaneous trip, last January, we made the sudden decision to take a month and head south, to Tennessee! So off we all went - Denise flew home and we followed about 2 weeks later! What an awesome time that was! We moved into the carriage house and lived the life of Tennessee homeschoolers for one month.

So up to that point we had been blessed to see each and every house that we had both lived in during our friendship; we had moved from city to country together; and then from country to town.

The next thing we did together was our family decided to build a house. We thought we would be doing that by ourselves. But it wasn't to be that way! After we left Tennessee, Denise's family made the decision to basically rebuild their house. They turned their beautiful big house into two homes, so that Denise could have the blessings of having her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren living on her property.

Then to top-off all these simultaneous walks, last year both she and I made a life changing decision to put one of our children into school. I don't think either of us would say we saw it coming!! I certainly never intended to put one of my children (my oldest) into school! And we have both been blessed by what we did!

So again, we walked a new walk together. It has been something so comforting to know that a good friend is encountering these new days together. So you can imagine how odd it seemed when our adoption adventure began and WHAT? Denise is not adopting?? Nope! I'm doing this one alone! It felt a little sad.

I was talking to a new friend one day, saying how I missed that Denise and I were not sharing this journey. When we both moved to the country eight years ago, we wrote to each other daily and shared so much encouragement (when the world thought we were looney) that we easily filled 700+ pages of journaling! I was telling this girl that I appreciated her words of wisdom that she had dropped. I told her about Denise and how those were the types of things Denise would say. Courtney spoke of 'friends for a season'. I fully believe she is right in this. (Denise is not for a season though; she is for a life-time - my soulmate.)

Today, the most remarkable thing happened. Denise and I were talking about someone who had adopted and she mentioned some of this woman's names of her children. When she dropped one name I said, "I love that!!" I *know* that name (which is so symbolic and beautiful) *will* be one of our girls' names (if we are blessed to get two). That would be just like God to bless us with Denise being the one to suggest the name - the same as Austin being born on her birthday - just another way to bond us.

Then when we were talking about going to Ethiopia, Denise said she would go with me. And I was thrilled at the idea. We had a laugh when I said I would have to take Ray, too. *grin* She said, "We'll let him come along."

Later tonight, I wrote to Denise and said, "Were you serious about going to Ethiopia with us?" And her reply so blessed my heart!

"Sure, I'll go to the ends of the earth with you." Through things Denise has told me this seems to be a personal journey for Denise, too. God is reaching her heart for Africa - 'through the eyes of these children.'

So where I thought that I was walking without Denise, I was too hasty. I should have realized that God had surprises in store.

This is such a blessing for me. It is rare to find a friend who reaches the depths of your complete soul - but I have found that in Denise. Thank you, Lord!

(Denise, this paragraph formatting is *especially* for you. *laugh* Love ya!)