This little guy....
Went and turned 5 on me!!
And this little princess....
is now SEVEN!!! (pass the Kleenex)
So now I know what happens to parents when they blink!
As if all of that isn't exciting enough.... my husband and I got to get away for a wonderful vacation....
....a free vacation.... that I earned. And we just had to laugh off and on the whole week, because it served as another example of God looking out for us! How? Well, when you come off of the year that we had.... you NEED a vacation. You NEED time away to reconnect. To re-focus....and to have a week where you aren't two ships passing. Ya know?
The thing is though.... when you come off of the year like we had, you don't often take time to get away. You don't feel like you can be away... your sappy mommy heart doesn't want to be away.....and with all the expenses of prescriptions and therapies... you certainly wouldn't typically PAY for a vacation.
So in true God fashion.. he drops a FREE week long vacation in your lap...at JUST the right time... to connect, relax, breathe.... and reflect! And boy, did we enjoy it!
As if all of that wasn't enough.... today, March got even sweeter! Our family got to add 3 GORGEOUS boys to the crew--- making the grandkid count (on my side) 10! It's felt like 10 for quite some time now.... but today... it became official!
My older sister has had an unconventional, but oh so wonderful road to parenthood! Before she ever got married, she was a foster parent... and a sweet, beautiful, blonde hair, blue eyed girl, entered our family PERMANENTLY through that process.
A short time later, a wonderful man entered her life... and became the best husband and father a girl could ask for!
They assumed they'd start adding to their family quickly after marriage... but it wasn't happening. Anyone who has struggled with infertility, knows the roller coaster this puts you on. Living your life in 2 week increments.... it's all consuming. Month, after month, after month!
Watching her go through that was so hard. We'd pray and pray every month that THAT would be the month. We would analyze symptoms and have ourselves convinced those 2 pink lines were coming... but they never did. They got more serious with fertility treatments, but never got an explanation.... or any indication as to why they couldn't conceive. The doctors just didn't know why.
Today... it was VERY apparent to me why.
These sweet, precious, innocent children needed to have a family to love them.... and were going to need an unconventional method to finding that family.
Foster care is not for the faint of heart. Time and time again, I have people tell me... "I could never do that.... I'd get too attached." It's true... you DO get attached. But would we want foster parents that don't? What's the alternative? If everyone that would get attached opts out.... who is left? (Trust me when I say, I'm not preaching to anyone but myself here----God's working on me!)
Just as the "aunt" in the situation... there have been so many paralyzing moments.... fears of a situation they could be returned to. A weird mix of emotions as they start to call you "aunt" and you kind of hope it's for forever.... but you know that forever for YOU, means NEVER for another. It can be a mental whirlwind.
All you can do is love them with all your heart...knowing that they need hugs and snuggles and laughter each and every day-- just like every other child on the planet. It's the most selfless thing a person can do in my opinion. To open your home... and your HEART... to fill in the "mom/dad void" that they inevitably have. To know that when it's all said and done, you could be feeling the physical pain of heart break.... depending on the outcome.... but you do it anyway. Because they are God's perfect and innocent children.....and they deserve the same love that any child does.... foster or not!
You have to have a special heart, and I do believe it's a calling... one that not everyone has.... but I have to say there is SUCH a need. If not me.... for now..... or ever.... I can sure step up my prayer game! Join me in praying that God continue to raise up amazing families that will take on this emotional ride...this worthwhile and necessary obligation to society ... for the good of those that can not fight for themselves----and are truly victims of the deck dealt them.
I look at these faces above... and my heart literally melts!
Watching them today, sitting on their MOMMY'S lap... the only mommy they have ever known... was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. They were surrounded by a huge family, one of the biggest crowds they have had at an adoption ceremony one of the court officials said.... and even though they were virtually clueless to the day's meaning.... today totally changed the course of their lives.
They have an official Aunt Dee and Uncle J (every kid needs a set of them ;)). They will know what it feels like to be a part of a family----a pretty crazy awesome one if I'm allowed to say that. ("Toot, Toot!" said my own horn.) They will have cousins who will grow in to best friends.... grandparents, aunts, and uncles to spoil them rotten....and to watch them grow, and encourage them through life...
...and as they grow older, and they discover the road that led them to their FOREVER family.... they will see the beauty of the compassion their parents possess. They will know that good things do come from bad situations... there is always HOPE when you have GOD..... and even better.... with God's plan...
....there is always a happy ending!
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