Reminders

Part of my anxiety over this trip to Ethiopia to bring Lion home is leaving Bunny. She is my first baby. She is my heart. She is the only child that I have held in my arms. Its going to be difficult to leave her. I will miss her.

I think she is experiencing those same feelings. As much as she loves Ama and Baca and loves staying at their house, she will miss us. She is scared of us leaving her for such a long period of time. She is scared of the unknown that a new brother will mean in her world.

So we are both anxious.

For a long time, I have carried a small rock in my pocket. Its a reminder to keep myself centered. Its a reminder of the important things. Its a reminder just to breathe in and out, to just be.

Whenever we go to the beach I look for new rocks, small and smooth. I like these new rocks because they remind me of the day we spent together as a family collecting them. When we took our trip to Door County last month I enlisted Bunny to help me search for new rocks.

"Why do you want rocks, Momma?"

"To remind me, honey."

"Remind you of what, Momma?"

"Of today. Of our family."

We found several perfect rocks. I placed them in a pile on my dresser, waiting for the right moment to use them.

Today was that moment. I selected a smooth, perfect rock. I got out a sharpie and wrote "Mommy" on one side and "Daddy" on the other. I gave that rock to Bunny and told her she could take it with her to Ama and Baca's house. Whenever she started to miss us, she could look at that rock and know that we loved her and were thinking of her.

Then I let her choose a rock for Frink and myself. We wrote her name on our rocks and placed them in our pockets. We told her that we would carry those rocks with us while we were gone to remind us of her.

We may be separated for a few days but these rocks will always remind us that we are a family.