Do Hard Things

We have decided, once again, to begin the process for an international adoption.
We are excited about it.
With all the blessings we pray for this to be, we know it will bring hard things, too.

If you want to learn about adoption in a nutshell,
read this really excellent post at Rage Against the Minivan.
I've been meaning to share it with you all.
It is a great summary.  It made me think a lot.
It reminded me that along with so many blessings in life,
come hard things.

What about the hard things like
pregnancy, labor, mothering a newborn
& then parenting every day ever after?
Those are all really hard things.
And, I am so glad we decided to do those hard things.

I can't imagine missing out on the blessing of my children.


My marriage is my greatest earthly blessing.

But, marriage is not just a walk in the park.
It is hard work, sacrifice & selflessness.
And, the blessing is oh-so-sweet.

There are other hard things that bare big fruits of blessings.

My sister knows about the blessings that come from
working crazy hard to get your body in shape &
from the hard sacrificing of many tasty foodie treats.

If we were to avoid hard things & try to take the easy road,
can you even imagine how much we would miss?

Gardens
Good food.
Education.

What else?  What hard things have you reaped great blessing from?