Joy Comes in the Morning

“We sat side by side in the morning light and looked out at the future together.” -Brian Andres

It was a morning of hope. There was a pool of emotions swirling inside me as I stood at the LAX holding a bouquet of deep red roses. My close friends stood beside me and I felt the warmth of their excitement and energy. I was wearing the same outfit I wore almost 4 years ago when I set eyes on Angel for the first time. I thought of the many times I had deplaned in India and come out of the airport to find her waiting for me. Only this time, it was I who stood on the receiving end waiting for over two hours for my destiny.

For the first time, I truly had the chance to reflect on how the airport was site to the most joyful and heartwarming reunions. A little girl ran up to her young father with her excited little voice, “Daddy! Daddy!” covering him with kisses. Moments later, another little girl ran to greet her father in a similar fashion. With her hands up in the air she cried “Happy! Happy!” because she could not find the words to express her joy. Joy was evidently the theme of the morning…

During the waiting, my mind found cause to reflect. It was never in my plan or nature to wait, and yet that is exactly what I was called to do. I recalled the first letter that started this whole journey, word for word. I never would have dreamed that the chain of letters that followed would have led to this. There were many times I tried to run from it only to find that the deep desire of my heart lay at my point of surrender.

I thought back to the twists and turns along the way, the questions that challenged me, the tears that broke me, and the decisions that changed me. The postponed wedding dates, the cultural differences, the obstacles had all extended the waiting and now quite suddenly, it seemed the waiting had come to an end, and joy waited at the end of the path. I realized that it was in the waiting that I grew the most. It was the waiting that prepared me to stand confidently for the moment at hand. I was a combination of a Man who fought for this moment, and a boy dreaming.

Then, there she was. She emerged quite naturally from the gate as if she was merely coming home to a place that was always familiar to her. One glimpse of her was all it took for my doubts and questions to dissolve. My hopes rose with the beating of my heart as she made her way towards me. Time stood still as she buried herself in my embrace.

I watched her being greeted by my friends- her new family. She fit in like the last piece of a puzzle as the reality of her arrival slowly began to sink it. There were no words to describe the moment. We drove out of the airport to be greeted by the warm California sun. Our morning had finally come and Hope was rising once again…