Fear, love, and patience

I couldn't sleep last night.  I tossed and turned and kept worrying about the adoption.  Finally, I got up and started to write down all of my fears in my journal.  What it came down to was that more than all my other fears of our family not being able to handle this I am afraid that the kids won't like me or us.  I am already in love with these little ones, that itself scares me, and if these children don't or cannot love us because of what they have been through I am not sure how I will ever be able to handle that.  I know that it will take awhile for them to trust us.  From all of the classes and reading we have done the average time for an adoptive child, especially an older child, to bond with their new family takes about two years.  Right now two weeks in this adoption process seems like a lifetime, two years seems hard to even imagine.  I know that will be the hardest part of this journey we are about to take.  More than the behavior issues that I am sure they will have, the time it will take for them to bond with us, with me, will be a true test of patience and love.  I might already love these kids but they know nothing about me or my family.  They have no reason to trust us or even want to come and live with us.  I am just going to have to have patience and a LOT of faith.