Love's Long Legacy

Don't you just love cleaning out rat's nests that inevitably happen in any home?  Actually, I hate it, except for the fact that I sometimes find really important stuff, like the letter below.  It was stuck haphazardly in a legal sized white envelope-- hand written on yellow legal paper.  I found it stashed waaay in the back of an old red antique incubator that doubles as a night stand in my spare bedroom/office. 
Along with the letter were some other "really important papers"--to say the least!  There it was! Another envelope, this time in a flat card board one marked "Priority Mail from the United States Post Office". 
In it were Anna's original passport from Korea, a more recent picture for her U. S. Passport, her Adoption Decree with information provided by The Holt Adoption Agency, along with her other official adoption paperwork done by Rahn. Wow!  Who knew??
Today's a busy day, but I had to sit down at the table with the freshly brewed cup of tea my husband brought me and read both those precious papers--papers that show a long legacy of love.  Both made me cry.  Where does the time go? 

July 28, 2007

Dear Dad,

This is the first time since being back from Baja that Cait and I have had a quiet weekend at home. I’ve been meaning to write since we got back but the weekends were filled with a church picnic, Sunnyside to pick up wedding gifts, family camp on Lake Chelan, a wedding [his] and covering a weekend court calendar.
Since we had a free Saturday this weekend (and since I’ve become somewhat of a Mariner’s fan) we went to see them beat the A’s 4 to 3 at Safeco Field yesterday. Caitlin just finished her orientation to volunteer as an ER assistant at Children’s Hospital and they sent her away with free tickets for the game. You may have heard that she also interviewed with the Sports Editor for the Seattle Times…They said she wasn’t a “good fit” after answering incorrectly the question, what is a quarterback.
I have been coming home to gourmet meals every night and evenings with nothing in particular to do. It’s been quite a shock after 10 months talking on the phone, writing and driving to Moscow every weekend. The more I get to know Caitlin the more there is to love. Next to following Chirst, marrying her is the best decision I’ve ever made.
As with following Christ, marrying Cait was much less my decision than it was God’s provision. Its one example in hundreds where God has gently and patiently taken me out of foolish decisions (which you know better than anyone) and replaced them with good things. As I remember those times, that gentle and patient hand of provision has most often been through you. Every good thing in my life has been a result of your encouragement, discipline, leadership and selfless provision all given through times when I certainly didn’t earn them….
Now that I have the responsibility of a family I see that the best gift has been your example of sacrificial love. The charge to love as Christ does is a daunting one but a blessing to have your tangible example of years of doing just that.
Thank you for that Dad. It’s my prayer that you’ll see the fruit of your faithfulness in my family.

I love you,

Zac