The Journey Thus Far...

What a journey this has been...life with Sarala. Getting word that Sarala was born and not wanted.



Praying...seeking...saying "yes" that we'll take her. Finding out about her condition...medical history. Praying/crying out to God through the grade 3 hemorrhage, hydrocephalus, prematurity (2.5 lbs), sickness, detox from meth. Getting word that she'd be leaving the hospital after 57 days in the NICU, going into a high-risk medical foster. Getting a chance to talk to the foster mother, hear Sarala crying in the background, receiving our second picture of Sarala ever...in addition to the picture above.


Getting word that she'd be coming to Missouri soon (February 08), and then finding she'd be coming in March 9th. Getting her room ready...diving to the airport with an empty car seat...seeing our baby for the first time.


Having her appointments at Children's to keep an eye on her reservoir...the decision to have surgery and take it out. Surgery, sickness and an ambulance ride up to Children's...getting older. Getting word that we could go out to San Francisco and officially adopt her in April of 08'.


She's officially a Buckman and is growing/developing beautifully. None of this would be possible without an awesome and good God. Now...Thanksgiving 08'. I'm thankful for a loving and good God...Sarala...my family...everything.


I look at this picture and it brings tears to my eyes...still. This picture will always have an effect on me due to the way God has come through in the life of this little girl. Sarala...now almost two and a half...is experiencing what we consider to be her first Thanksgiving/Christmas since she's old enough to talk about it...get excited about it...tell us about it. If you ask her about her Christmas tree, you'll get an immediate reply..."Don't touch it." I'm loving every minute of it ...and I'm thankful for the fact that I'm not coaching right now. I always knew how much time I spent away from the family when I was coaching basketball...practice...away games...traveling...tournaments. The time is now very noticeable since basketball season is in full swing.

Since we've got a couple days away from work, we decided to make a change that we knew had to be made. We have reached another milestone in the life of Sarala. She is no longer sleeping in her crib. She is no longer a little baby. What an amazing experience and journey this has been. Through the surgeries, hospital stays, normal baby illness things...God's hand in all of this is so visible...I'm thankful that Sarala has such an incredible story behind her.



Not only is this following passage from Psalms a reflection of Sarala...it's a reflection of all of us.

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.
Psalm 139:13-16

We got a chance to see this live as we were beginning the journey with Sarala...it's an awesome reminder that God knows all about Sarala...


Laminin...