We Passed!

There's a whole list of college exams that I prepared less  for than the "test" we took today.  For the past 3 weeks I have used gallons of hand lotion in hopes of "passing" our USCIS fingerprinting.  Okay, maybe gallons  is an exaggeration, but I've use a lot.  From what the officer explained to me this morning, the digital fingerprinting measures the moisture in your skin.  You also run the risk of being turned away if you have an open wound on the pads of your fingers.

My patenal grandfather was a wonderful man.  However, one less-than-desireable trait I inherited from him was the tendency toward the ends of my fingers cracking and bleeding in the winter. 

[Enter my OCD-like handcare over the past 3 weeks]

Away went the glue gun (I can't tell you how many times I've blistered my finger tips using that thing!) and out came the lotion.  No more patching the little cracks in my fingers with Super Glue (works like a charm if you've never tried it).

My efforts payed off and not only do I now have beautifully soft hands, we both "passed" our fingerprinting!

I have to say, the whole experience at USCIS/DHS (United Stated Citizenship and Immigration Services/Dept. of Homeland Security) was great.  The staff was efficient, pleasant, and we were on our way home in about 20 minutes!  The waiting room is a fun place to people-watch.  Each face has a story.  We were the exception... the only ones there for an adoption petition.  All of the other faces-- many different colors and ages-- were there because they are in some phase of the immigration process.  They were there pursuing the legal right to all of the priviledges that I was born with... the ones I take for granted... the things I am too often not thankful for.  Because my great-grandparents did the hard work of immigrating to the United States, I can choose my political view, vote, birth/adopt as many babies as we choose, and worship God without risk of persecution.  Thanks, USCIS, for this reminder.