Sunday, March 18, 2012, Nashville, Tennessee, 4:02 p.m., D.S.T.~
Dear Journal~
O, happy day! Camille and Akihiko have both arrived safely; I had a hunch they would be here before Easter-time ... they are beautiful; I've already fallen in love with them!
Camille, who is six, was adopted from Haiti, and Akihiko, 3, from Japan. Camille has Down syndrome and Akihiko, he has autism. Yet that doesn't stop me from loving them any less: they are my newest two children and I love them as much as our other children, although they have only been here since Wednesday of this past week!
The littlest kids are, of course, excited at getting to meet their newest brother and sister. The older kids are ready to show them the ropes of what it means to be a Sandusky child. I have no doubt in my mind that they will be awesome brothers and sisters to them! The animals are in hiding; they don't know what to make of the two littlest strangers that have invaded their space.
The children who no longer live here are excited at seeing Camille and Akihiko for the first time. Bill and myself have already texted or called them to tell them the news; we've been volleying conversations back and forth like a volley ball between a net. I know they will love them almost as much as Bill and myself do!
Today we took Camille and Akihiko with us to church. Camille was shy, but she accepted hugs and kisses from the people. Akihiko, on the othe hand, screamed and kicked his legs as he flew into another tantrum; I had to take him out of the sanctuary, so he wouldn't disrupt the service. I then took him outside and held him in my arms, trying to calm him down; poor little thing didn't know what to make of the music or all of the other people in the sanctuary.
Akihiko and Camille were a hit with my church family/friends. I just hope that the experience of strangers descending upon him didn't traumatize Akihiko for life! I would really feel terible if it did!
Today, Pastor Bilkey preached about "first fruit": giving 10% of your income to God (tithing). This practice isn't anything new in our household: we make sure we have money to give back to God: after all, He blesses us; why not bless Him back by giving Him part of our hard earned income? The kids all tithe and so do Bill and myself. It is part of God's Law and the benefits far outweigh the deficits because God always replaces what we have given tenfold in our family.
I don't regret tithing one bit!
We are getting ready for our Easter Cantata and next Sunday we are having the Singing Cookes from Kentucky come and minister to the congegation in song and preaching. Should be a good time; I love their music! So does the family.
The weather here is patchy (partly cloudy) with a chance for storms each afternoon, with highs in the middle to upper seventies before a cold front comes on Wednesday and knocks temps back into the fifties (forties in some spots). There could be a chance for severe weather when the storms do arrive. Hope not; we've already had a few rounds of severe storms, the most recent bout being about two weeks ago. Not so much in the way of damage here, in terms of tornadoes, but north and east of Nashville got hit pretty hard.
Well, we're going to eat supper, then head back to church for the evening service. I will write in here again soon; hopefully Akihiko will be a lot calmer tonight. I hope and pray so! Just keep him (and me) in your prayers, since I'm the one who has to watch him! (Not singing on the worship team tonight.) May God bless you as much as He's been blessing us, the Sandusky Family, lately!
~Love, your friend in Tennessee, Louie May. :)
