Foster This

When I get home from the foster/adopt classes I want to smother my kids with hugs and kisses. I want to let T play with my hair as long as he wants and get back in bed in the mornings so he can come and snuggle with me (something I sacrificed when I started getting up before the kids). I want to listen to Addie tell really long stories that I usually don't have the time to hear the end of. I want to play soccer with Ben, whoever gets to THIRTY wins - instead of whoever gets to five. I want to get down and look Mia in the eyes when I talk with her and hold her every time she says "Hold you mommy!".

I go to these classes and I learn about our next child and maybe it was or maybe it wasn't held as a baby. Maybe it had dinner, but probably not, and if it did it most likely came from the minimart down on the corner. I learn about toddlers who hoard food because it's a survival skill they've acquired. T throws a fit and it lasts -at the longest- 5 minutes. I learn about children who throw rages for over an hour. Ben has been really huggy lately, making sure to hug and kiss me before he goes to bed, even after I've hugged and kissed him, and sometimes I huff and puff at this, because I see it as him dragging out bedtime. And maybe he is, but someday he won't. Someday he won't need me at bedtime at all. I learn about kids who don't even know what a bedtime is, let alone have someone hugging and kissing them each night.

There are SO MANY kids out there, right down the road, maybe even in my neighborhood, being taken away from their homes. They see things and hear things and feel things and do things that we would "die" over if our kids experienced any of them. And we'll get this baby sometime early next year and I'll have at least 12 months, maybe 18, hopefully a lifetime, to pour myself into. Pour all of the truths I know, all of the prayers and all of the love I have into this child.

But I'm not perfect.

And neither is Mark.

And Lord knows our kids and extended families aren't either.

So what do we do? When we see this sickness and yuck in the world and all of the sudden it's in our home and we're talking about it over dinner like it's the weather? What do we do when sin and deception has taken over, completely defining an entire family, and we have the offspring of that family?

We take it in. We swaddle and sing. We cradle and love. We feed and pray.

Lord, how we pray.

Comments

Kris Franklin said…
exactly. By the way... the hour (or five hour) long tantrums give you a lot of time to pray. ;)
2:24 PM
Vivian said…
This made me tear up and also made me very thankful that there are families like yours willing to open their lives to amazing kids who have (likely) had a rough time of life from the beginning. I am blessed to know you and share in your journey.
9:58 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Quick Update

Image
We have been in Idaho just a few days shy of 7 months. That's over HALF a YEAR, people. MUCH has changed. Our daily routine? Changed. Weekend plans? Changed. People we call when we're in a jam? Changed. How we're being fed spiritually? Changed. (But not TOTALLY, because we are still being fed hearty meals from the truth of God's Word, only our "server" has changed, essentially). How we function as a family? Changed. Everything has changed.  Half a year in a new land, with new people, and a new EVERYTHING will change you. And we are okay with that. Matter of fact, we're better than okay! We scorched our way through a brutal, smoke filled August, and we are GOOD! We tip-toed into the school year in new schools, with new teachers, and new everything , and we are good! A couple kids even won awards! (She's one ...  the oldest was another, but conveniently ducked the camera >insert eye roll<). We mercifully made new frien...
Read more

My New Language

Image
My teen challenged me to a game of ping pong. Easy enough, one might think, but this particular teen has been playing for YEARS against GOOD players (my mother-in-law is a champ!). Not to mention his muscles are twice the size of mine and he's a least - dare I admit this - a solid three inches taller than I, probably four. He was so sweet when he asked, and I couldn't remember the last time he had, so of course I said yes. From the beginning he knew he could beat me. He is stronger, faster,  *sigh*  taller , and more skilled. So he, sweet thang that he is, played with his weaker hand, which honestly isn't saying much because the boy is straight up ambidextrous . He was still beating me. So he got on his knees. I kid you not. He put one hand behind his back and he. played. on. his. knees . Aaaaaaaaaand he still beat me. It probably didn't help that I was laugh/crying the entire time. He thinks it was because I was having the time of my life, and I WAS! But r...
Read more

The Post About School

Image
Our family has partially or full time homeschooled for eight years. And, getting really technical, if you think of the years per kid, that's 22 years of homeschooling ! I think it's safe to say we are homeschool fans. Our decision to homeschool, initially, came from three factors: 1. Mark is a big proponent of using time wisely, and neither of us were thrilled with the use of time in our local schools. 2. We don't vaccinate, which wasn't a big deal in the beginning because BACK THEN we could just sign a waiver and it was no biggie. Then CA went all - well, Californiaish- and basically it became impossible for us to legally enroll our kids in a public school. 3. What brought homeschooling to our attention was when a family brought us a meal after Mia was born, and in walked this 8 year old boy who was kind, polite, helpful, genuine, respectful, patient, and more. I asked the mom, "Where does this kid go to school? He is incredible! What are you doing??...
Read more