Plugging away...

Day by day, I am making progress on the book. The last couple of months have been spent formatting the manuscript to the publisher's specifications, or trying to anyways.

My trusty editor, Marilyn, is in the process of giving the book a final once-over with edits. She is 2/3 done.

My friend, Lisa, who is a PR/marketer, is helping me work on the back cover script.

And, finally, I have a few cover blurbs, which I'll be posting about soon.

I still hope to have Daniel's story to the publisher in the next couple of weeks, which doesn't seem out of reach.

Praying for the Holy Spirit to continue guiding this project!

Mischief Baby

It's a bottle of baby lotion.

Not just any baby lotion.  It's Mischief Baby.

It was purchased for Daniel in Nanchang, China when we adopted him and we massaged his little body with it almost daily.

And it's empty now.

But I can't bear to throw it out.

Does that sound weird?  Do I sound like some strange hoarder?

Somehow, I feel like that silly plastic bottle is a piece of his journey home--a piece of him, and I don't think I'm ready to part with that.

Not yet, anyway.

Sometimes, I suppose it's the little things...

Happy Birthday, Little Groundhog

Today is Groundhog's Day. 

It is also Daniel's birthday. 

There is a little four-year old celebrating up in Heaven today. 

This picture is from China when we celebrated Daniel's 2nd birthday
with him at the Safari Park in Guangzhou.

Happy birthday, Daniel!  Thinking about you today and every day!! 

 

 

Dear Daniel,

Two years ago today, they placed you in our arms.

And I will never be the same.

I praise God for having you.

But I'm sad to have lost you so soon.

The love I have for you will never diminish, son.

You are with me always, a fixture in my heart.

Thinking of you today and every day, my angel boy. 

We miss you down here.

Pure Treasure

See these pictures?  We just received them last night. They were emailed to us from friends in Spain who brought their daughter Clara home at the same time we brought Daniel home.

Daniel is the cutie in the orange shirt.

Daniel and Clara lived in a Holt-sponsored group home together. They were bed-mates.

Our friends in Spain discovered the photos of Daniel after he'd passed away, and they were afraid that it might be too painful for us to see them.

When I contacted them for permission to include Clara in our book, they decided to send them to us.

Pure. Treasure.

Thank you, Lord.

Publisher - Check

I really wanted to start the New Year on a good note with this special project, so we decided to secure a self-publishing firm.

And our choice is (drum roll please).....WestBow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson.

A couple of months ago, I reached out to an author in hopes of gaining a cover blurb. While I haven't managed to accomplish that task, her kind assistant was able to answer a few questions and offer some advice. She had heard of WestBow Press and knew of several people who'd been happy with their services.

So I decided to give them a call, and the representative who answered my call--her name was "Angel." I liked what I learned about the company, and it truly felt right.  Meant to be.

One of the main reasons that we chose to work with WestBow is that they are a Christian publishing company. Daniel's story is clearly one of faith, so the fit made perfect sense to us.

Though it's not probable, there is a *chance* that Thomas Nelson (the parent company) could pick up our story. We'll keep our fingers crossed, but it's not likely, and we're okay with that (but it sure would be nice!) Thomas Nelson is also the parent company of the Women of Faith ministries, which I believe (and hope) will be a perfect target market for Daniel's story to make a difference. 

I feel like this is the first big step to getting his story into the right hands, and I'm happy to have one major decision behind us!

Tree Angel

 

The angel atop our Christmas tree has a new look this year. 

She's holding a Chinese Love Knot in her arms.

The Chinese knot has come to be the symbol of reunion, luck, harmony, and love. Traditionally, a Chinese knot must be bent, tied and crafted from a single red rope, to express the endless circle of happy life and its red-color represents beauty, happiness and wishes.

This love knot was given to us in China when we brought Daniel home.

It will stay in her arms forever now, on our tree, and serve as a sweet reminder 

that our baby's still with us at Christmas time.