Memorial Box Monday (well... Tuesday actually!) and our puzzle

This is my very first ever Memorial Box Monday (I don't even have a box!).  And yes, I do realize it's Tuesday!  Just ask my dear hubby (and my parents)... I am the queen of late, so I guess this works!  I recently started following a blog called "A Place Called Simplicity" (check it out on the right).  Every Monday, Linny does Memorial Box Monday. These are posts about things she will be putting in her Memorial box-- a cabinet that holds trinkets or reminders of when God has shown His faithfulness in your life, often in an amazing way.  My Memorial Box post is actually a giant "thank you" to God and to Linny.  A few days ago, Linny offered those of her blog followers trying to bring home treasured orphan children the chance to link to her blog.  After putting it off for days, and feeling God's prodding the entire time, I finally sat down Sunday, updated and linked to her blog (better yet, I can't figure out this whole link thing now, and it was so easy Sunday!).  To my absolute amazement, the link closed right after I added our link for helping us journey to our son!!!  I fell to my knees in thankfulness to God.  Even more wonderful, since then there have actually been people reading my blog, and one kind soul, A.T. gave us our very first donation toward bringing LXH home!!!  I was so ready to just give up and decide with all the obstacles in our way that it just wasn't meant to be.  Thank you to all of you for your kindness.

Even more of a "yippee Jesus" is that I have felt so wrapped in His love since taking my tentative little step by linking (even with waves of attack still happening).  In the past few days, I keep finding little heart shaped rocks everywhere, and even though I feel silly thinking it, I feel they have been placed there just for me.  So my heart shaped rocks are going into my family's Memorial box.  Now I just have to find a box!

With my new-found hope and inspiration, I have decided to ask for puzzle piece sponsors (this was an idea I saw on someone else's adoption journey blog, but I no longer remember to whom I can credit this idea).  I chose a puzzle with an artistic image of a Chinese family blessing (check out the sidebar).  It's one I hope our son will want to keep and hang in his home as an adult (as a sort of Memorial Box of his own). For $1 per piece, you can join us on our journey to LXH.  We will put your name and state (or country) on the back of each piece you sponsor.  When all the pieces are filled, hubby and I will frame it with glass both front and back so our treasure can enjoy the image of a family and see the love and kindness of the people who helped him to come home.  My daughter (who just got a sewing machine for Christmas!) and I would also like to do a quilt where each patch would represent a $5 donation, so that our little boy can sleep under a blanket of the love of all the amazing people who helped us bring him into a family of his own.  I don't have pictures for the quilt yet, but when I do, I will add it to the sidebar also.  A.T. and her family have their names on 5 puzzle pieces and a quilt patch!  Will you join her?  We are so excited!

The Chinese Family Blessing 1000 piece puzzle.  Only 995 pieces left to fill!