Family and Friends

So blame it on pregnancy, on the fact I cannot remember the last time I slept through the night,  or on the rain, but this weekend I had some time to do some thinking, thinking about our family and friends.

Six years ago when Buck and I were planning our wedding I never would have imagined just where God would bring us.  I had big dreams-I was going to change the world.  I had great friends, a family who supported me and was marrying into a family that adored me (I mean that had accepted me in as their family).  I knew that God designed us for others and that we needed other people to help us truly understand God's love for us.  But I don't think I got it completely-just how important  those relationships are to me.

Fast forward to now….six years later, 5 years of marriage, new friendships, old ones lost or made stronger, loss of family members, 8 foster kids, 2 adoptions, a baby on the way, and the list goes on…

I am grateful for the people God has placed in my life, who our on this journey with me.  I would not be who I am without them.  We could not do what we do without them.  I can see how each person who took time to invest in me has shaped me.  The list is long, I am blessed.  Some of you I wished I met earlier in my life.  So where am I going with this….

This weekend at our church was parent dedication.  The pastor asked all the friends and family of ours to stand up and come to the front to pray with us.  I was overwhelmed with the sea of people who stood up to pray with us.  People of all ages, from all walks of life who invest in not only us but in our kids.  As I reflected on it I couldn't help but be overjoyed to know our kids have all of them to be a part of their journey, of helping them become who they are to be.  Buck and I realize we can't do it all for them, they will need others.  For every person there I could think of some that could not be there and I think my kids are covered….covered in love, covered in prayer, covered with people to have fun with, people to cheer them on.

 And that was it.  You ask what do you mean by it? It was the first time I looked at us and saw a family. It felt real!  I have been asked many times when did you first feel like their mom, or how does it feel to be an adoptive parent.  I never have had a great answer for this because we love every child who comes through our home.  But yesterday, I was not an adoptive mom, I was not a member of a transracial family, I was not foster mom…we were a family.  I look forward to seeing how each of you will play a role in our kids life, whether you are to teach Niki to love reading, how to accessorize her outfit, how to love people, how to throw a softball--- or teach James how to keep a wicked beat on the drum, how to slide into home, how to be a friend.  What a journey it will be and thankful God brought us on this journey with our people!