Paper Pregnancy

All of the symptoms are there. 

My adoption friends had told me that there would be something like a pregnancy that takes over your brain during the dossier process. 
So true.  I can barely think straight. 

Why does this happen?  Because of this this..

Appeasing all of the governmental agencies with the required paperwork is
on par with natural childbirth.  I've now done both. 
I would be hard pressed to pick the fiercer competitor. 
One is fast and furious.  One is slow and painful. 

A particular piece of paper is causing a lot of problems.  USCIS requires backup documentation for the background check. 
For almost two weeks, I called every half hour.  It did not look good:

"Ma'am, what you are asking for does not exist.  It is impossible."

"Ma'am, you would be better off getting an audience with the governor and asking him to talk to my supervisor's supervisor. 
It would be faster than me getting that far."

"Ma'am, the Attorney General himself could come down here and tell us to provide that letter, and we still would not do it."

I was very nice.  I just kept asking for the next supervisor. 

A few times, I would hit a wall:

"Ma'am, I AM the supervisor."  (PopCopy, anyone?)

Late one afternoon, with low bloodsugar pumping, I just pressed random buttons on the automated prompter until I got an unknown person's voicemail.  I had no idea whose.

And I lost it. 

I was still very nice, but about halfway through explaining the request for the 300th time, I started to cry.  On a message machine. 

I hung up quickly and said a prayer.  I decided to take a break. 

The next morning, I was up before dawn. I examined my exhausted list of contacts at the clerks office and then settled in for more prayer.  I got low. 

The phone rang early. 

A woman named Deborah called and explained that she was calling to solve my paperwork problem, and that she was going to personally handle the situation.  The impossible letter would be in the mail today.  Her voice was one of the kindest I had ever heard. 

She was the recipient of my sobbing phone call the day before. 
Somehow, I had randomly pressed the right buttons to get to
the actual Clerk of Court's Administrative Assistant.

God reminds me every day that these battles are not mine to fight.  He is doing all of the work, pressing all of the "random buttons".  I have to remember this.  Anyone who is adopting has to remember this.  It's a divine calling, and He's got this under control.

Missy