She's Up and She's Down

Our day started a little down. I went to check on Jubilee to see if she was awake yet. She was sniffing and there was a pile of Kleenex next to her bed. I sat down next to her and asked if there was anything I could do. She wouldn't respond or make eye contact. I wasn't shocked, or offended, just brokenhearted for my daughter. I sent out an email plea for help from those that have traveled this road ahead of me. One sweet mom had her daughter call and talk to Jubilee, in Amharic. It was good medicine for her soul. I am so grateful for other adoptive parents, and the wisdom that God has given them with their children.

She also told me she was sick. I have an appointment in Seattle next week, so I had been waiting for that, but I decided I had better have her looked at now to make sure she isn't in unnecessary pain. On the way over she wanted to know if she would need a chest x-ray. I told her I didn't think so. Not a wise move on my part, since she obviously knew how this was going to go. It ended up that they did need a chest x-ray. She was pretty ticked at me. I couldn't figure out what the problem was, since it didn't involve needles, dressing gowns, peeing in a cup or any other unpleasant medical thing. For whatever reason she hates x-rays. On the way home she came out of her funk and asked if we could still go out for ice cream (bribe offered earlier). I told her I wasn't sure after the scene she had just made, but maybe, if she admitted that it wasn't that bad. This was all in a playful tone, because I knew she knew it wasn't that bad. She smiled, and said, quietly, "it wasn't that bad." All that for a single scoop of vanilla on a plain cone.


It was Knight's Fest at Logos this week. I wasn't sure Jubilee was up for being around large groups of very energetic kids, but I thought I would at least ask. I have to qualify all of this by saying that Jubilee is an exceptional girl. I would NEVER suggest that anyone throw this much activity at a newly adopted child. She has been a trooper through all of the things we have been doing for the past three weeks, and I had a pretty good idea that she could handle it. She was a bit skeptical, but when all of the girls started putting on pretty dresses she decided she could at least go watch.

The balls at our school are also exceptional. They are not like the dances I went to in Jr. High and High School. They are mostly jigs, reels and mixers. You do have partners, but you are not swaying slowly with them with a strobe light overhead. There are kids there from first grade to college and lots of parents. Everyone is dancing together, and it is just a lot of good clean fun. K-man was very protective of his new sister. The girls that will be in her class were very gracious and showed her around. Honeybee and her sister were there as well, so they kept her on her feet. I had meant to come home at 8:00, but ended up staying for the whole thing.

Everyone was shocked at how beautiful Jubilee's smile is. She does draw people in with her pleasant demeanor. I can say that this has been an interesting week. I have discovered things about my daughter that testify to her resilience. I have much to learn from her, and her ability to overcome trials. Her smile says it all.

By the time we got home everyone was tuckered out. It has been a quiet morning so far, and everyone is still smiling.