We are getting close to completing our home study! We have one more visit with our social worker and our medical physicals are all scheduled within the next week. We only lack a couple other forms, such as our employment verification and some reference letters (you know who you are) to finishing. From what we've been told, once our home study is complete and approved, we will begin working on gathering any additional paperwork needed for our dossier, which is the packet of information that will be sent to Ethiopia.
On the home front, our time as foster parents has come to a close. It was no secret that our reason for getting licensed for foster care was to allow us to adopt a child who could not be reunited with family. After living with us for 3 months, our foster teen (sorry for the vague name but trying to protect his anonymity) is being moved to another living situation. We have prayed extensively and feel at peace that we did all we could to show him the joy in having a relationship with Jesus and all He has done in our lives and our family. This decision was tough for us because we hoped our teen would become a permanent member of our family, but he made it clear over the 3 months he was with us that he was not interested. The biggest disconnect was our differences in religious beliefs, which created an ever-growing chasm in our everyday lives. We will continue to pray for him and he will forever have a piece of our hearts, just as we have for the other children we have met through the foster care system.
We do hope and plan to stay involved in advocating for foster children but will not continue to pursue adoption through foster care. Please pray for all the children who are in foster care and for all those involved in the foster care system. Even if being a foster parent is not a calling or possibility for you, there are many other ways people can get involved, such as becoming a CASA (court-appointed special advocate) or a mentor, or even donating items for foster children, such as clothing, toiletries, and toys. One thing that struck us from our experiences, is these children, who are your neighbors, your children's classmates, or your child's T-ball teammates, have not gotten to experience many little things in life, such as a trip to the zoo or the movies, going out to eat in a restaurant, or picking out an outfit in a store. It is amazing how many things we take for granted that these children are missing out on. If you are interested, here are some links with ways you can get involved:
http://www.casaforchildren.org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/b.5301309/k.9D58/Volunteering.htm
http://dhr.alabama.gov/services/Foster_Care/Intro_Foster_Care.aspx
Please keep praying for our family. We often feel weary on this journey, which for us is approaching 2 years since we started praying about and pursuing adoption. We likely have a LONG wait ahead of us to complete our family, but we trust it will be worth all the heartache in the end.
But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. --Romans 8:24-25
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
Names
What is the story behind your name?
Ask your parents one day, and listen to the painstaking detail they took to give you your name. Even better, ask the parents of an unborn baby. It's a good way to fill about 15 minutes of time, if you ever get the chance. Just use those simple words, "Have you thought about a name?" Try it sometime and see how important our names are.
Speaking of Solomon's temple, God told the people of Israel, "My Name shall be there" (1 Kings 8:29). He told Moses in Exodus 6, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them". He ws the same God to the patriarchs, but when the time was right, He revealed to His people His Name. Doesn't this make all the difference? Names breadth, depth, meaning, and (most importantly) personhood. We are not just made, loved, saved, and redeemed by a power, or even an entity. Our God is a person (3, to be precise). This intimacy of the knowledge of knowing who God is holds the key to us know who we are, and who we are to become. "Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD...." (Hosea 6:3)
Names are important to God. Now that we are praying, thinking, talking (and blogging!) about our future new addition, we wanted to come up with some sort of name or nickname so we would not have to constantly refer to our child as "he or she" or "it" or "the child/baby." At this point our home study states we are seeking to be matched with a healthy 0-3 year-old boy or girl. We figured since we didn't "choose" the genders of our biological children, we wouldn't do it with our adopted one either, and age-wise we have decided to maintain our current birth order. When we are matched with our child, he or she will already have a given name, which we can choose to keep, incorporate as a middle name, or replace with our chosen name. We will probably wait and see what the given name is of our child before making a final decision about what our child will be called. Don't forget that God was pleased to change the names of some of his special children (Abram, Sarai, Jacob, Simon, Saul)! In the meantime, we have been considering possible names, just like we did when we found out we were expecting our biological children.
Micah is confident that her new sibling will be a girl and her name will be Ariel. As a matter of fact, she tells us multiple times a day that God has told her she will have a baby sister named Ariel. She has been consistently telling us this for weeks now. After a trip to Disney World in December, we assumed she got the name from the princess of the sea. The name Ariel didn't really appeal to us, so we didn't think much of it at first. About two months ago I decided to humor her and look up the meaning of the name. I like names that have significance of some sort (outside the realm of Disney). So, I looked up the name and this is what I found: Ariel is a Hebrew name meaning "Lion of God." What a strong name for a strong child who has endured the circumstances that led to her being an orphan, whatever those might be. Jesus is referred to as the Lion of Judah in the Bible. Ethiopia happens to be one of the top 7 countries (all in Africa) believed have the most lions living in the wild. Ariel is also another name for the holy city of Jeruselum as mentioned in Isaiah 29:1 (Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David settled!) Obviously we cannot deny the significance of this name and we have decided if Micah does get her baby sister, she will have to be named Ariel!
We have chosen Simon as our boy name for the multiple significant (to us) Biblical references. The Hebrew name means "he who hears." Simeon (another form of Simon) was one of the 12 tribes of Israel, as well as the voice of the beautiful words, "For my eyes have seen your salvation...." in Luke 2:30. My favorite disciple was Simon (Peter), who was bold and passionate. Whatever he did, he did it whole-heartedly, and he lived and died for Christ. What initially gave us the idea of the name Simon occurred when our family watched "The Bible" on the History Channel in the weeks leading up to Easter. After traveling hundreds of miles for Passover, Simon of Cyrene (located in Africa) was forced to help Jesus carry the cross, which would have made him unclean to take part in Passover. It is no doubt that his experience had a profound impact on him. Simon is specifically mentioned to have two sons, Rufus and Alexander, which is significant because typically men were identified by their fathers, not their sons. It is speculated that at the time the gospel was written, the reader would have been familiar with Rufus and Alexander. Paul mentions a missionary named Rufus in Romans, and it is believed that this may be Simon of Cyrene's son. Either way, the significance of Simon of Cyrene Biblically is evident by the fact he was mentioned and identified by name.
God already knows the name of our fourth tree. He has planned within His perfect purpose who it will be, when it will be, and how it will be. We do not know these details yet, but we do know that the One whose Name is above all names does. We eagerly wait His gift. Please pray for our adoption journey and for Simon/Ariel! We can't wait to meet you!
Ask your parents one day, and listen to the painstaking detail they took to give you your name. Even better, ask the parents of an unborn baby. It's a good way to fill about 15 minutes of time, if you ever get the chance. Just use those simple words, "Have you thought about a name?" Try it sometime and see how important our names are.
Speaking of Solomon's temple, God told the people of Israel, "My Name shall be there" (1 Kings 8:29). He told Moses in Exodus 6, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them". He ws the same God to the patriarchs, but when the time was right, He revealed to His people His Name. Doesn't this make all the difference? Names breadth, depth, meaning, and (most importantly) personhood. We are not just made, loved, saved, and redeemed by a power, or even an entity. Our God is a person (3, to be precise). This intimacy of the knowledge of knowing who God is holds the key to us know who we are, and who we are to become. "Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD...." (Hosea 6:3)
Names are important to God. Now that we are praying, thinking, talking (and blogging!) about our future new addition, we wanted to come up with some sort of name or nickname so we would not have to constantly refer to our child as "he or she" or "it" or "the child/baby." At this point our home study states we are seeking to be matched with a healthy 0-3 year-old boy or girl. We figured since we didn't "choose" the genders of our biological children, we wouldn't do it with our adopted one either, and age-wise we have decided to maintain our current birth order. When we are matched with our child, he or she will already have a given name, which we can choose to keep, incorporate as a middle name, or replace with our chosen name. We will probably wait and see what the given name is of our child before making a final decision about what our child will be called. Don't forget that God was pleased to change the names of some of his special children (Abram, Sarai, Jacob, Simon, Saul)! In the meantime, we have been considering possible names, just like we did when we found out we were expecting our biological children.
Micah is confident that her new sibling will be a girl and her name will be Ariel. As a matter of fact, she tells us multiple times a day that God has told her she will have a baby sister named Ariel. She has been consistently telling us this for weeks now. After a trip to Disney World in December, we assumed she got the name from the princess of the sea. The name Ariel didn't really appeal to us, so we didn't think much of it at first. About two months ago I decided to humor her and look up the meaning of the name. I like names that have significance of some sort (outside the realm of Disney). So, I looked up the name and this is what I found: Ariel is a Hebrew name meaning "Lion of God." What a strong name for a strong child who has endured the circumstances that led to her being an orphan, whatever those might be. Jesus is referred to as the Lion of Judah in the Bible. Ethiopia happens to be one of the top 7 countries (all in Africa) believed have the most lions living in the wild. Ariel is also another name for the holy city of Jeruselum as mentioned in Isaiah 29:1 (Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David settled!) Obviously we cannot deny the significance of this name and we have decided if Micah does get her baby sister, she will have to be named Ariel!
We have chosen Simon as our boy name for the multiple significant (to us) Biblical references. The Hebrew name means "he who hears." Simeon (another form of Simon) was one of the 12 tribes of Israel, as well as the voice of the beautiful words, "For my eyes have seen your salvation...." in Luke 2:30. My favorite disciple was Simon (Peter), who was bold and passionate. Whatever he did, he did it whole-heartedly, and he lived and died for Christ. What initially gave us the idea of the name Simon occurred when our family watched "The Bible" on the History Channel in the weeks leading up to Easter. After traveling hundreds of miles for Passover, Simon of Cyrene (located in Africa) was forced to help Jesus carry the cross, which would have made him unclean to take part in Passover. It is no doubt that his experience had a profound impact on him. Simon is specifically mentioned to have two sons, Rufus and Alexander, which is significant because typically men were identified by their fathers, not their sons. It is speculated that at the time the gospel was written, the reader would have been familiar with Rufus and Alexander. Paul mentions a missionary named Rufus in Romans, and it is believed that this may be Simon of Cyrene's son. Either way, the significance of Simon of Cyrene Biblically is evident by the fact he was mentioned and identified by name.
God already knows the name of our fourth tree. He has planned within His perfect purpose who it will be, when it will be, and how it will be. We do not know these details yet, but we do know that the One whose Name is above all names does. We eagerly wait His gift. Please pray for our adoption journey and for Simon/Ariel! We can't wait to meet you!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Staring in the Mirror
I’m a bit weird. Really.
Have you ever really thought about yourself? Who are you, really? If not, here’s an exercise.
Emily and I took the kids to my
step-grandmother’s visitation tonight and we discussed “where” she is now. She was not still in her body, that too small
shell that lay in the casket before us.
So where is she? Micah kept
asking whether she was just asleep, and when she’d wake up, etc. Of course, we tried to explain that our
bodies are not really who we are, but rather that they hold our souls, until
God takes them to Himself (or otherwise).
Honestly, how many of us have written an autobiography? How many of us have taken a picture of each
room in our house and sent them to a stranger?
How many of us have filled out a family tree? How many of us (you’ll love this one) have
drawn a “Community Tree”, illustrating the relationships in our lives, while
identifying certain people with “!” and other with “X”. Yeah, I figured on that last one.
Here are some of the questions we’ve come across.
“Does my spouse want this
adoption as much as I do? Explain.”
“Do your parents support you
in this process? Elaborate”
“Do you feel like a
rescuer? Why or why not”
“Name some of your strengths
and weaknesses. Explain.”
“Will you feel embarrassed
with a child of a different race? Explain.”
“Would you ever leave your
spouse or consider divorce? Why?”
God gives us copious amounts of writing about Himself, and God has given us
copious amounts pictures of Himself.
These two come together in the man Jesus Christ.
“In the beginning was the
Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God” – John 1:1
This is the testimony that God gives of Himself, and I believe it. I’ll be praying that my (our) testimony is
deemed believable until God reveals His word in us, and in our fourth tree.
So who are you? Have fun staring in
that mirror….
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
From the Mouths of Babes
Tonight when I was in the car taking Micah to dance class, we were just talking. She says some thought-provoking things sometimes, so I just threw it out there and said, "Micah, how do we teach T about Jesus?" She answered with, "What do you mean?" And I responded, "T doesn't know Jesus." Her answer was simply, "Jesus is God."
I was speechless because that pretty much summed it up. T has been attending a Jehovah's Witness church (or Kingdom Hall as they call it). After my extensive research on their beliefs, Micah's statement was the biggest chasm between their beliefs and Christianity. They do not believe Jesus is God.
So on the way home, with both girls in the car, we were talking about Jesus again (one of Micah's favorite topics). She commented how Jesus died on the cross to "give us" (forgive us) our sins. That rolled into a topic of what sin is. Later in the conversation, Micah commented that Jesus climbed onto the cross all by Himself. I told her that was so true because Jesus allowed himself to be sacrificed for us. I love having these car ride talks with her because it is amazing the insight a three-year-old can have on topics that many adults don't completely understand.
Please continue to pray for T that the Holy Spirit might move in him and he will realize that Jesus was more than a man!
John 10:17-18 The reason my Father loves me, is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.
I was speechless because that pretty much summed it up. T has been attending a Jehovah's Witness church (or Kingdom Hall as they call it). After my extensive research on their beliefs, Micah's statement was the biggest chasm between their beliefs and Christianity. They do not believe Jesus is God.
So on the way home, with both girls in the car, we were talking about Jesus again (one of Micah's favorite topics). She commented how Jesus died on the cross to "give us" (forgive us) our sins. That rolled into a topic of what sin is. Later in the conversation, Micah commented that Jesus climbed onto the cross all by Himself. I told her that was so true because Jesus allowed himself to be sacrificed for us. I love having these car ride talks with her because it is amazing the insight a three-year-old can have on topics that many adults don't completely understand.
Please continue to pray for T that the Holy Spirit might move in him and he will realize that Jesus was more than a man!
John 10:17-18 The reason my Father loves me, is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
One Week in April
Emily and I have quickly learned a hard truth spoken by a wise friend of ours. He said something like, "When your life seems like it's falling apart around you, that's a sign that God is at work too." Though we haven't been personally affected by the last seven days, it has affected us deeply nonetheless. To put it bluntly, the past week was hard!
We know that God calls His children to hard things (like adoption!) so that He can show Himself mighty in them in spite of our weaknesses. Several folks around us have shown that they know this truth as well. I decided to tell the story of this week in my own way.
We know that God calls His children to hard things (like adoption!) so that He can show Himself mighty in them in spite of our weaknesses. Several folks around us have shown that they know this truth as well. I decided to tell the story of this week in my own way.
7 DAYS
The first day was alive,
Vigorous with worshippers, eager to thrive
On the Truth, raised from the dead
In flesh and blood, just as he said
He would. By His temple torn
And tattered, the sons of God were born
Into eternal life. The first day is
always the beginning
Of the end of death, and the start of God’s winning
Another battle in the war that is already won,
There was evening, and there was morning.
The first day was done.
The second day was for Fools.
Laughter and games and smiles are tools
In the hands of friends and families, growing
Closer by every smile shot from faces showing
Slightly twisted branches, heavy with the fruit
Of love, joy, and peace. The loot
That is plucked from such a day is neverending,
Or so it may seem when God is sending
His blessings in the packages of fun.
There was evening, and there was morning.
The second day was done.
The third day brought death
And an appreciation for every breath
That God gives to these shells. I am
but a vapor.
What was the good? Why did our
Father take her
Instead of an old man, or a crook, or me?
The answer lies here. We are not
meant to see
Such things in our state. God is the
one who gives
And takes and gives back. This I
know; she lives.
Our Lord gave her a race. Because of Him, she has won.
There was evening, and there was morning.
The third day was done.
The fourth day was dark.
The shadow of death lingered in stark
Contrast to Sunday’s light. How
would he
Make it? How would they all see
How much she cared? On days like
this
God seems to dwell in the background, a wish
Under one’s breath for things to change.
Yet
God calls us to walk in the shadow until our needs are met.
The Lord is our shepherd. Our needs
are none.
There was evening, and there was morning.
The fourth day was done.
The fifth day was a promise broken
Deeds done and words spoken
Cannot be returned to hand or tongue.
And so, even God’s children can be stung
By the fall and its obligatory consequence – sin.
Does this mean that the King of the Universe can’t win
In men and wives, children and lives, or love?
Sin is a reminder. God has made a
promise above
Feelings, either good or bad. His
love cannot be undone.
There was evening, and there was morning.
The fifth day was done.
The sixth day brought relief
When the branches exhaled from a grief
Avoided. My soul called to the Lord
to ask,
“How many other times have you delivered me past
These petty worries and fears I wear like a beast
Of burden, with my face to the ground?”
Too often, I feast
On that which is not real bread
Partaking of the world instead
Of you, my Lord. Lift up my head to the
Son!
There was evening, and there was morning.
The sixth day was done.
The seventh day…rest.
Have we been cursed or blessed
By the weight of God’s hand resting on us so strong?
Teach us, O Lord! Do not tarry long
In showing us your ways - by deaths and lives.
Teach us your purpose through husbands and wives.
Sing over us the song of the redeemed
So that we might trust that when all seemed
Out of our hands, it was in Yours. Days are precious; You make each one.
There was evening, and there was morning.
The seventh day was done.
The first day was alive….
Monday, March 25, 2013
Life is getting busier already
So, we took the plunge and are in the midst of the home study process for our adoption. We are working on the literally hundreds of pages of instructions, paperwork, background checks, and required reading and training necessary for an international adoption. It really feels almost overwhelming when we see how far we have to go. I started looking yet again at the payments required to complete this process and thought, "What have we done?" Then, I remember this is God's call for our family and feel some peace. I can't blame all, or even most, of the recent turmoil on the adoption process.
I alluded to our foster care journey in my initial post. Let me give a little more background. Brad and I are licensed foster care parents, so we had completed the State required adoption paperwork and requirements back in the fall of 2011. When we'd been licensed almost a year, I started feeling a pull towards international. Nothing was happening on the foster-adopt front. We had no real prospects or communication with the state about potential matches. I started researching international adoption and really praying about it on a family vacation to Disney World in December 2012. Brad and I spent much of our travel time on the way home discussing it. Within an hour of arriving home, we got a message from our social worker that our home study had been pulled for a potential match. I mean, we haven't heard A THING from the state all year! So long story short, it took about a month with the Christmas holidays to get all the details about the child the state was considering for us. Unfortunately that match, a teenage girl, fell through when her current foster parents decided to pursue her adoption. So by mid-January we were back to square one yet again. Even though I still believed God lead us to foster adoption first, I really questioned our purpose in taking that road since all we'd done is hit multiple dead ends through failed potential matches and children we'd inquired about online.
We talk to some couples who have done international adoption or are in the process. I contacted a couple adoption agencies and we selected Lifeline. The SAME day we faxed in our initial application and paid the $250 application fee online, we get a call from DHR. Brad followed up and the social worker wanted to know if we would take a teenage boy for one night. We decided to help out "this one last time" as we had not told DHR of our new plan yet. The boy touched our hearts and the next morning, we told the social worker he could stay longer if needed. So, that afternoon, he moved in.
We don't know where this will lead or how long he will stay at this point. This is a new road for us because our goal has always been adoption and that is not necessarily the plan for this child due to his age. He is a good kid who's had a tough life. He is slowly warming up to our family. There are virtually no significant issues with him (which is a true rarity in foster care) except the biggest one of all for us. He is not a Christian. This has been the source of my stress for almost 2 weeks now. It isn't that he hasn't been exposed to a faith at all. He is deeply embedded in another faith (or cult as some assert) which teaches that all the differences between what we believe and what he believes is of Satan. I know that only God can do the work to change his mind, but I find myself constantly evaluating if I should be doing things differently or saying more to help him realize why Jesus is the one and only Savior. This is truly a stressful situation that has challenged me in ways I was not prepared.
Our plea at this point is to pray for this child, that he will come to know the Truth. That he will see Jesus in our family and want to know more. . . John 14:6 and John 14:10
I alluded to our foster care journey in my initial post. Let me give a little more background. Brad and I are licensed foster care parents, so we had completed the State required adoption paperwork and requirements back in the fall of 2011. When we'd been licensed almost a year, I started feeling a pull towards international. Nothing was happening on the foster-adopt front. We had no real prospects or communication with the state about potential matches. I started researching international adoption and really praying about it on a family vacation to Disney World in December 2012. Brad and I spent much of our travel time on the way home discussing it. Within an hour of arriving home, we got a message from our social worker that our home study had been pulled for a potential match. I mean, we haven't heard A THING from the state all year! So long story short, it took about a month with the Christmas holidays to get all the details about the child the state was considering for us. Unfortunately that match, a teenage girl, fell through when her current foster parents decided to pursue her adoption. So by mid-January we were back to square one yet again. Even though I still believed God lead us to foster adoption first, I really questioned our purpose in taking that road since all we'd done is hit multiple dead ends through failed potential matches and children we'd inquired about online.
We talk to some couples who have done international adoption or are in the process. I contacted a couple adoption agencies and we selected Lifeline. The SAME day we faxed in our initial application and paid the $250 application fee online, we get a call from DHR. Brad followed up and the social worker wanted to know if we would take a teenage boy for one night. We decided to help out "this one last time" as we had not told DHR of our new plan yet. The boy touched our hearts and the next morning, we told the social worker he could stay longer if needed. So, that afternoon, he moved in.
We don't know where this will lead or how long he will stay at this point. This is a new road for us because our goal has always been adoption and that is not necessarily the plan for this child due to his age. He is a good kid who's had a tough life. He is slowly warming up to our family. There are virtually no significant issues with him (which is a true rarity in foster care) except the biggest one of all for us. He is not a Christian. This has been the source of my stress for almost 2 weeks now. It isn't that he hasn't been exposed to a faith at all. He is deeply embedded in another faith (or cult as some assert) which teaches that all the differences between what we believe and what he believes is of Satan. I know that only God can do the work to change his mind, but I find myself constantly evaluating if I should be doing things differently or saying more to help him realize why Jesus is the one and only Savior. This is truly a stressful situation that has challenged me in ways I was not prepared.
Our plea at this point is to pray for this child, that he will come to know the Truth. That he will see Jesus in our family and want to know more. . . John 14:6 and John 14:10
Sunday, March 17, 2013
The Beginning
Brad and I were the beginning of our 4 trees. We met in 1995, before we started our freshman year of college, and started dating February 14, 1996. Exactly 3.5 years later on August 14, 1999, we got married. In 2002, we welcomed our first "tree," Brandon. Lauren, our second "tree," arrived in 2005 and we wondered if maybe our family was complete. . . until we realized we were expecting Micah, our third "tree" who arrived in 2010. Our family was finally whole. . . or so we thought. In August 2011, Brad and I mutually discovered we'd been feeling a tugging in our hearts to add to our family through adoption. We prayed and agreed that this was God's call. Shortly after, we started inquiring about adoption through the foster care system. By the end of December 2011, we were licensed. We had 3 short-term placements over the next 7 months but we were still seeking a permanent adoptive placement. We inquired about several children we saw on Heart Gallery but nothing worked out. (More about our foster care journey later as there have been some updates since I originally wrote this in early March.)
After more prayer, discussion, research and even more prayer, here we are. We are embarking on a new path along our adoption journey. . . international adoption from Ethiopia. Lately, our youngest, Micah, has been telling me she is a big sister. I know she thinks (even with her tiny body) that she is "big" but perhaps she knows something I don't yet. It is possible right now that there is a child somewhere in the world who has been conceived or even born that is ours and has already made Micah a big sister.
Now to the story of the trees:
In 2010, I told Brad that I wanted him to create some artwork to cover a HUGE wall in our living room. So for Christmas that year, he gave me 3 paintings of our little "trees". A different tree represents each child, as explained in this poem Brad wrote:
Green. Waxy leaves never
Dampen until they fall in heaps
Below its pinnacle steep
In the sky.
On the knowledge of the world
And ever spirals about, unfurled
With more and more leaves that fall
And litter the ground with all
Of God's blessings to us.
The rainfall dripping instead
Of gushing on your head
As one rests in its shadow.
Her feelings and her love.
Her gentility is far above
Her years and her smile lights
Up the darker, too-manly corners of her father, right
Up to the top of his soul, and he is thankful.
Clothes that God allows it to wear
A few weeks each year,
Before He strips it bare with sleep.
The glory of God's laugh
When He pours out His sweet cup on those who have
Counted their blessings and thought
They were done. For these, God has bought
The fiery brilliance of being surprised by joy.
Brandon is our magnolia. When he was born, our house (at the time) had 3 large magnolia trees in the yard. Micah is our maple. Brad had her sugar maple tree planted in our new home's front yard before I came home from the hospital after delivering Micah. Lauren is our ginkgo. A couple weeks ago, we had a ginkgo tree planted for her.
This brings us to our fourth tree. We do not yet know about this tree, but it has a home in both our hearts and our yard. Our family strives together, looking forward to how and where God plants it.
Just tonight (March 6, 2013), Brad and I were discussing names for our journal/blog. As the conversation turned to "trees," Brad recalled a song he had heard recently. He only remembered that it was about trees, but when I read the lyrics, this "coincidence" quickly became an affirmation of this next step in our search. My family and friends know that I don't believe in "coincidences" because with God there is no such thing. After reading these lyrics, we agreed that our journal/blog should rightly be named "Our Four Trees".
Planting Trees by Andrew Peterson
We chose the spot, we dug the hole
We laid the maples in the ground to have and hold
As Autumn falls to Winters sleep
We pray that somehow in the Spring
The roots grow deep
And many years from now
Long after we are gone
These trees will spread their branches out
And bless the dawn
He took a plane to Africa
He gathered up into his arms
An orphan son
So many years from now
Long after we are gone
This tree will spread its branches out
And bless the dawn
So sit down and write that letter
Sign up and join the fight
Sink in to all that matters
Step out into the light
Let go of all that's passing
Lift up the least of these
Lean into something lasting
Planting trees
She rises up as morning breaks
She moves among these rooms alone
Before we wake
And her heart is so full; it overflows
She waters us with love and the children grow
So many years from now
Long after we are gone
These trees will spread their branches out
And bless the dawn
These trees will spread their branches out
And bless someone
After more prayer, discussion, research and even more prayer, here we are. We are embarking on a new path along our adoption journey. . . international adoption from Ethiopia. Lately, our youngest, Micah, has been telling me she is a big sister. I know she thinks (even with her tiny body) that she is "big" but perhaps she knows something I don't yet. It is possible right now that there is a child somewhere in the world who has been conceived or even born that is ours and has already made Micah a big sister.
Now to the story of the trees:
In 2010, I told Brad that I wanted him to create some artwork to cover a HUGE wall in our living room. So for Christmas that year, he gave me 3 paintings of our little "trees". A different tree represents each child, as explained in this poem Brad wrote:
TREES
The first tree
is hearty and everGreen. Waxy leaves never
Dampen until they fall in heaps
Below its pinnacle steep
In the sky.
The boy is as
such, ever alive
Growing and
sprouting - he thrivesOn the knowledge of the world
And ever spirals about, unfurled
With more and more leaves that fall
And litter the ground with all
Of God's blessings to us.
The second tree
is soft and sweet
With arms all
about that keepThe rainfall dripping instead
Of gushing on your head
As one rests in its shadow.
The girl is as
such, fair
And gauzy,
translucently she wearsHer feelings and her love.
Her gentility is far above
Her years and her smile lights
Up the darker, too-manly corners of her father, right
Up to the top of his soul, and he is thankful.
The third tree
is young, yet vivid
Even fiery, with
its sharp and splendidClothes that God allows it to wear
A few weeks each year,
Before He strips it bare with sleep.
The little girl
is as such, small
Immature, yet
endowed with allThe glory of God's laugh
When He pours out His sweet cup on those who have
Counted their blessings and thought
They were done. For these, God has bought
The fiery brilliance of being surprised by joy.
Brandon is our magnolia. When he was born, our house (at the time) had 3 large magnolia trees in the yard. Micah is our maple. Brad had her sugar maple tree planted in our new home's front yard before I came home from the hospital after delivering Micah. Lauren is our ginkgo. A couple weeks ago, we had a ginkgo tree planted for her.
This brings us to our fourth tree. We do not yet know about this tree, but it has a home in both our hearts and our yard. Our family strives together, looking forward to how and where God plants it.
Just tonight (March 6, 2013), Brad and I were discussing names for our journal/blog. As the conversation turned to "trees," Brad recalled a song he had heard recently. He only remembered that it was about trees, but when I read the lyrics, this "coincidence" quickly became an affirmation of this next step in our search. My family and friends know that I don't believe in "coincidences" because with God there is no such thing. After reading these lyrics, we agreed that our journal/blog should rightly be named "Our Four Trees".
Planting Trees by Andrew Peterson
We chose the spot, we dug the hole
We laid the maples in the ground to have and hold
As Autumn falls to Winters sleep
We pray that somehow in the Spring
The roots grow deep
And many years from now
Long after we are gone
These trees will spread their branches out
And bless the dawn
He took a plane to Africa
He gathered up into his arms
An orphan son
So many years from now
Long after we are gone
This tree will spread its branches out
And bless the dawn
So sit down and write that letter
Sign up and join the fight
Sink in to all that matters
Step out into the light
Let go of all that's passing
Lift up the least of these
Lean into something lasting
Planting trees
She rises up as morning breaks
She moves among these rooms alone
Before we wake
And her heart is so full; it overflows
She waters us with love and the children grow
So many years from now
Long after we are gone
These trees will spread their branches out
And bless the dawn
These trees will spread their branches out
And bless someone
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