A change is in the Air

So, I've been feeling a little restless of late. Not sure that I could pinpoint why until now. Winter always makes feel a bit blah, add to that a surgery that is taking way too long from which to recover and you just have a recipe for restlessness. Usually when I get restless we end up with a new baby, new dog, new house, new car, new something and then I'm fine for awhile and then I get restless again. This restlessness is different.
I need to digress a bit and tell you that I just got the papers from the Illinois State Police for our final fingerprinting...you know...the one paper I've been missing so I haven't sent in our dossier? Well, guess what? I've had it all along. It's already been done and we've already gotten the results back. Now, usually I would be beating myself up like crazy right now. How dumb was that? But not today...today I said, "wow God." Really. Wow.
This morning, we got an email from our agencies' Latin America coordinator. It was not an uplifting email. She just returned from a visit in El Salvador and spoke extensively with the OPA director (office for adoptions). Things just are at a stand still. They are increasing the wait time to over 18 months for those families who have already been approved. Those who are still waiting for approval may not even get approved! Guess which family hasn't been approved yet? Ours. So, here's where my restlessness came into play:
I've been hopping around in my head from country to country. Should we adopt here in the States? Switch to another country? Hang on for El Salvador? This was all before I got this email this morning. Now I know why I've been so restless, why I couldn't send in that dossier just yet, etc. God wasn't done with us yet. Our agency has given us an opportunity to "switch" countries but we have to decide by March. We are investigating Ethiopia right now. The amazing thing about this is that we already have all the finances we would need to adopt from Ethiopia (minus a wee bit for travel, but no worries). The wait is only 7 months from dossier submission (that is the average length). Travel is only for 1 week (as opposed to 3). Everything seems to match. So, I don't know? We are waiting to hear from America World.
Johnny put it so well. It's not where we adopt from, but that we adopt. Period. God has this perfect little girl waiting for us. We're coming baby!
My friend Cerise shared this with me today after I expressed my selfish desires to not wait for years to add to our family. I probably should have asked first if I could include this but, knowing Cerise, she won't care, and her words greatly encouraged me.

I know you think that your impatience is you needing instant gratification, but you're also a grown woman with kids and a husband, so it's not like you're a selfish woman who can't wait to get a puppy because her apartment's too lonely. You've learned how to look beyond your own desires. Have you considered that your sense of urgency is because the girl that's meant for you needs you as "now" as you need her? It's not outside the realm of possibility.

I had not considered what she said, that this urgency is beyond me. That this restlessness is so much more than me being tired of staying in the house or boredom. Cerise went on to tell me that God gave us these desires (my translation). Thank you, my friend!
I need to get going because I have a date with 5 handsome men to watch America Gladiators. Better run!