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| Elijah and little buddy, Levi I haven't really done a New Years post, partially because if I'm honest, I feel like I am looking at so much uncertainty going into 2013 that I often feel more anxiety than excitement. I clearly remember last year just focusing on our Ethiopian adoption and the excitement of seeing who the Lord had as our 10th child (I didn't know we were going to get a bonus #11 yet). This year, we are again at the beginning of an Ethiopian adoption, but there is so much more in the "unknown" category of life. We are waiting on the results of JD's current contract with the company he works for; we are optimistic, but Obama's second turn is not a positive for any of us in the defense industry. Even where we live is determined by his job, so there is a lot of unknown for us right now. Other than that, we are facing some surprising new challenges with two children. While another has been long-term, the last upset caught us by surprise and we are still anticipating what to do to help the situation. While I know that adopting children with traumatic beginnings can be challenging, I still did not anticipate what we are dealing with right now. We are also debating what to do educationally with Ben; we are in the middle of testing, but I don't anticipate the answer to be simple or inexpensive. We have been called way out of our comfort zone the last several years and I honestly would not have it any other way, but the day to day can often seem overwhelming. Looking forward, I hope we find answers and are on a path of solutions that seems more hopeful than I am seeing right now. We are incredibly blessed with how smooth and pleasant Selah and Bella's transition has been! We marvel every day at how happy and well adjusted they seem to be considering they were both in an orphanage for (or almost) three years! God has richly blessed us with them! My 2013 words are trust and hope. As simple as they are, I truly have to trust God with all the things that seem unstable and I have hope that he can bring my children through the challenges that we are facing. We were blessed with a visit from my friend, Wendy, and her seven children yesterday. It was the first time that we were able to meet new baby, Ruth, and she got to meet Selah and Bella. We sure did not have any idea over 18 years ago when we met that we would have 19 children between our two families. |
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| Ruthie and me |
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| Elijah and Ruthie |
So sorry things are hard right now. I do understand the challenges that adopted children can bring with them.
ReplyDeleteHang in there hun, trusting in God to help us through is important and so hard to do at times. ~Hugs~ I hope all the best for you and yours. :-)
ReplyDeleteSweet friend, I don't know what you're facing right now, but I'm saying a prayer for you as I hit "send". Adopting kiddos is a beautiful thing, but like you said, there is a lot in the day-to-day living that is far from a romanticized dream like some people think. Whatever the struggle you're facing, God is bigger.
ReplyDelete"I understand" can either be very encouraging, or insulting. I don't "understand" exactly what's going on with your children and family, but I do understand the stress level and unforeseen issues that can blindside you with raising kids. (especially ones affected by trauma) I'm not the mom in my family, but my heart just aches with helplessness and fear, at times, for my younger siblings. I want so much to just "fix" the problems and logically help them work thru things. Unfortunately, the lack of "logic" is one of the big issues. I'm glad you have adoptive moms online who can offer support and understanding.
ReplyDeletePrayers directed your way!