Life update

2013 was a pretty hard year. I’ll spare you all the gritty details but can sum it up by saying that between Jeff’s Nan dying, Jeff’s dad moving to Vancouver, problems with our rental house in Florida, and our sweet baby girl being adopted (thus, leaving our home) at the end of November,  I was pretty emotionally done by December.

In fact, I tried to write my annual Christmas letter and when Jeff looked it over, he told me it was “depressing”. I told him that it would be the most honest Christmas letter floating around out there, but, good man that he is, he kabosh-ed it. I honestly couldn’t fix it, and so he ended up doing up a cool photo collage instead and that’s what we sent out.

(Also, you should know I plan to write a depressing letter EVERY YEAR from now on in order for Husband to continue doing the cool Christmas letter/collage. I know a good thing when I see it.)

Anyway, a week after our 19 month foster daughter got adopted to a truly amazing couple, we got a call from CAS for a little baby boy. “Here we go”, I thought. Then I only got to have that darling boy for a week, and he was moved on. I came to think of that little guy as God’s gift to me even for that week, someone to hold while my heart was literally wrenching out of my body.

And then he was gone, and our home was open. For a long time, in fact…7 weeks with no phone call from Children’s Aid. I am pretty sure this is practically unheard of. They are usually pretty desperate for baby homes.  I began to wonder if we had done something wrong and no one had told us. (Ok, not really, but the mind does start to wonder!)

When the calendar rolled over to 2014, I felt an almost tangible relief. If last year was a year of loss and release, surely this year would hold something else entirely. I felt hope, a sense that this new year would be drastically different than the one we had just journeyed through. I told God I would embrace the new season, whatever it would be. I meant it.

Then we got the call.

TWINS.

WOULD WE TAKE TWIN BOYS ABOUT TO BE BORN?

Ummmm.

God, REALLY?

After 4 days of discussions with Jeff, we were at an impasse. We were weighing out how our lives would change with 2 babies to care for. Did we want to change that much? Could we handle it? Did we WANT to handle it?

On the fifth day, Jeff told me he had a moment of clarity. Perhaps we were laboring over a decision that wasn’t really ours to make. Perhaps the fact that we know we are called to foster and the fact that our home was open and ready was enough? Perhaps these boys are supposed to be in our home?

He was scared. We both were. (ARE, actually…I think we are both still scared.)

And I loved him so much for saying what he did.

I called my worker the next morning and said, YES.  (And then, I WENT SHOPPING, because, TWINS!)

A week later, those precious angels were home with us.

Now they are four weeks old already, and I am so very glad we said Yes.

I already love them like crazy.

And after all….“Scared is the new brave” – Lisa-Jo Baker

What about you? Is there something you know God is asking you to do, that feels just a little beyond your capacity?

Giving up the ghost, er, dog

There are many, many things that I do well.

Thrift-shopping and drinking un-godly amounts of coffee come to mind.

Apparently I can now officially add something new to my list of “Things I’ve tried to do and failed miserably at”.

I cannot be a dog owner.

Or I should say that I can not be a dog owner while I am also a parent. I just can’t seem to find peace with it all.

Here’s the facts: We got a puppy, Harley, on Halloween. He is a beautiful golden retriever / lab mix and will be an absolutely wonderful adult dog, of this I am sure.

Here’s the rest of the facts: I am not really a dog person.  It’s been a long 3 months.

On Sunday this dog will be “relocating” to live with Al, my father-in-law. We are keeping Harley in the family, we can visit him and Al can do all the work of actually being Harley’s owner. He can walk him daily, feed him lots, fight with him over slippers and shoes, worry over his walls and furniture being eaten, and clean up the hair tumbleweeds that materialize everywhere. As an added bonus, I will no longer have to mend my children’s war-wounds that Harley seems prone to inflicting during “play” time.

(I sure hope Al doesn’t read my blog. Oh, wait, he is a retired man with no internet….see why he NEEDS a dog!)

I am just a teensy bit relieved.

Ok, no, I am A LOT relieved.

Thank you, Jesus, for answering the prayer that I was too scared to pray.

Oh, and, Jesus, if you could help Children’s Aid to not read this blog as well, I would be so appreciative. We are getting so close to having our home officially opened for foster-ing and I really don’t want them to think I will do the same thing with their precious babies.

Babies are still definitely on my “List of things I do well.”