Season of sadness and happiness

I love this time of year, and there are so many reasons to look forward to fall now with Jake home. There's his gotcha day and birthday coming up, and then there's our anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas, cooler weather ...
But there's also time, as in every season, for sadness, and I am feeling it now, as my dad died two years ago today.
He never got to see his grandchild, and that I regret for my son. So many things in his young life to miss, but kids are resilient, and they teach us adults to live in the present, for which we receive so many blessings every day.
Monday would have been my Dad's 72nd birthday, and it also is the day our agency will receive our final paperwork regarding our adoption — a joy for us and another bittersweet ending. We are so glad our adoption obligations are over, but we never will forget the journey that led us to our dream a half a world away.
In this season of sadness and happiness, I'm going to work harder at focusing on the blessings God has given us, but I will remember those things that are sad, for they are close to my heart, and my memories truly are God's blessings as well.
Violet