This week didn’t turn out quite like I thought it would be. Last week was an emotional high since we are now officially adopting our precious foster daughter (if you missed it, you can read it here). I think I had expected that feeling of walking on cloud nine to continue… and it didn’t.

As so often happens after something exciting, things go back to normal pretty quickly. In typical fashion, I got sick. I abhor the fact that my body seems to operate in pretty narrow parameters and being busy tends to push me over the edge pretty quickly… and by pretty quickly I mean faster than my instantaneous surprise and resulting slide that time Jackson secretly sprayed WD-40 on my tile floor…

So, being sick, I didn’t get to do everything I wanted this week. It’s okay. It really is. There are times like this. I think we all expect things to be happily ever after once we reach some goal or a point of resolution like we did with our adoption.

But it’s not. The truth is, it’s just life. We get sick and stuff happens. Whatever it was in your week, I’m sure it wasn’t completely sunshine and roses. I think it is kind of ironic that we somehow expect things to be all better afterwards, but the reality is that we are still the same people after as we were before. I realized it when I graduated from college and I laughed at the fact that a little piece of paper suddenly meant I was worthy to be paid more than I had the week before.

Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled beyond words to be adopting! I will never be able to adequately express how much I love this little girl or how good God has been in this whole situation.

It’s just that we became a family a long time ago. A piece of paper that we will one day get that says that she is legally my daughter won’t really change anything, at least relationally for us. It will change the fact that I will no longer have to follow all of our foster care regulations for her and life will get considerably easier when I can make decisions for her all by myself!

And this week, we’ve been talking about therapies for her to help her along the way. She’s had so many challenges herself and so we’ve done surgery, therapy, specialists and more. If you meet her though, you’d just see probably the happiest and sweetest toddler you’ve ever met. God has done so much in her life already and I know He will continue to do so. It’s humbling to have a front row seat to see Him working.

Which is why I think I needed to be sick this week, albeit it being frustrating. I needed to slow down and realize that it’s not done. God is still working even after this long awaited decision. I can’t do it on my own (clearly as I’m so stuffed up certain boys think it is hilarious to mimic my stuffed up sounding voice).

And so I want to say thank you.

The outpouring of support we’ve received over the past week has been nothing short of astounding. People a world away have been offering to pray for us and it has literally brought tears to my eyes. People that have never met my little girl care so very deeply for her that they are praying.

I’m humbled since I get to see first hand how God works. He changes our hearts to value the things that He values. In Him, we find our own value and see the value in others that the world considers throwaway.

When the disciples tried to send away the children, Jesus didn’t let them. In those days, kids weren’t considered valuable and were often thought of more as possessions. Elders were respected and those marginalized in society were used, abused, and ignored. And Jesus wouldn’t let them do that anymore…

Foster kids are the kids nobody wants in our society. There’s a painful stigma that they are damaged and broken. Yet, people we don’t even know are concerned and praying for our little girl and for us because of Christ.

It’s not over yet and won’t even be once she is officially adopted. We still will have the day in and day out responsibilities of parenting and loving on this little one. It’s what we’ve been doing for the past year and a half though with her and for much longer with our bio kids. Nothing is really going to change in our day to day…

In all the movies people seem to get their happy ending and ride off into the sunset and it’s over. Happily ever after. It’s tempting for me to see it this way, but it’s not reality: I’m sick. I still have four kids who are trying to escape bedtime and looking for cans of WD-40 to create some “fun” with.

It’s not over because it’s not really my story anyway. It’s God’s.

This is the best kind of fairy tale because He’s the Hero.

 

Thank you again for all of your support!