The Party Continued Today

Yesterday after I posted I thought to myself, "did I write Christmas 2009 on that blog? It is only 2008." So I just checked and yes I had made that error. I guess I'm rushing the years and I certainly don't wish to do that.

Joshua and Susan's family and Kendra and Craig all stayed the night at Lauri's so the day after the party, we continued to party down. I think everyone was on their trip home by about two o'clock and I was spent. We so enjoyed our two days with the six of our kids that could attend. It is just wonderful to visit with adults who happen to have the same values you do. It always amazes me how it comes out somehow that the things we attempted to teach them, they really did grasp. I guess that is good news for those of you who have budding adults still under your roof. Makes one oh so grateful and just a little bit proud. Not a pride that is evil but one that gives one the feeling of fulfillment. The kind of thing that one can look at and say with conviction, God is faithful. He gets all the praise.

Adopting older children has been one of our experiences in life. Today, we sat around the kitchen table and talked real feelings about how it was when Joshua and Jennifer joined our family. We were under the impression these kids were coming from an orphanage just as our first adoption had been. When we got them we were told the mother had brought them to the orphanage the night before they flew out. They had not been prepared emotionally at all. They were sort of tricked into this flight by the promise of things that were not totally true. None of their four older brothers knew what their mother was doing. Obviously, the adjustment was totally huge. Today I got the chance to tell Joshua how we felt. I expressed that I was truly angry with this mother that I did not know who sent her 12 and 8 year old to us in America to a strange culture and family. I told him that I had a tough time figuring God's will out at that time. I still don't get it, but we were true to our committment to love them and rear them in the ways of the Lord. And love them we do....dearly.....and they us. So for whatever reason, God had a plan.

All this came up because one of the older brothers sent his eleven year old son to Chicago the middle of December. It is his winter break (two months). The poor little kid is struggling with homesickness. Jennifer told me she just didn't understand his tears. I looked at her like she was from out of space. When I asked if she didn't remember all the nights I sat by her bedside, holding her, comforting her and crying with her, she responded that she has no recollection of that memory. Isn't it a grace of God that that pain she felt was lifted out of her memory bank?

Jun Soeng came to our family celebration yesterday. He is a delightful boy, very cute and very social. At one point, I turned around to see that he had gone over to our little 11 month old Emerson and picked her up and sat down on the sofa to love over her. It was just precious. He also got along with all the big kids by whooping them in video games and just having plain fun.

It is just amazing to me that God would bring all of this family connection full circle. The mother I had no love for years ago has been a guest in our home. She loves the Lord and I have to believe that she has grown in the thirty years we have had the kids. Now we have one of her grandchildren at our family gathering and everybody was doing their utmost to make him feel accepted and loved. It doesn't take much for me to look at a Korean face and adore it but it thrilled me to see all our grandchildren hovering around this person that arrived as stranger and left as friend.

Today was going to be the day we were going to get results from my tests. Nada. We can't get into the specialist until January 7th. Not exactly sure what steps we will take next but I have to believe that God is going before me and has everything in His control. Just a bit confused.