Bethany Support Group

Dashing the through the snow in a . . .

well, not really, . . .

we were rolling slowly down the interstate
to a Bethany Christian Services Support Group meeting.
Traffic was crawling, because of all of the people headed to the mall
for "Christmas" shopping.
We arrived just in time, thanks to my husband's wisdom in leaving the house
early.
Pizza and childcare provided and a cookie swap. Since this meeting was open to
families who were still waiting to have children placed in their homes, we thought it
would be good to show our faces and earn an hour of credits to add to our file.
As it turns out, we were not alone. All but one family that came were waiting families,
just like us. We all enjoyed hearing that one family's story of placement and upcoming
adoption, and shared our own stories of disappointment, waiting, frustrations with the
system. For some reason it's encouraging to know that we are not the only ones in this phase,
but still I am inpressed with the importance of trusting God in all things.

Josiah's craft

Two other families also had biological children. They were all so well behaved that it drew
compliments from an older couple who were there. "You parents must be doing something
right." It's good to hear those things. While the adults talked, the kids watched "The Grinch
Who Stole Christmas" and made a craft.

Hannah's craft

We came away full of cookies and encouragement enough to last us awhile.

Will We Ever Adopt?

After waiting for a year, it starts to get discouraging. You wonder, where are all of those kids that they said needed a home?
Why is it taking so long?
Have we been rejected?
Are we not good candidates?
I did yell at young ones the other day.
I did despair over a sibling squabble.
I did compare my family to those of others, . . .
and mine didn't measure up.

Well, the truth is that there are kids that need a forever home and there are families that are waiting.
The truth is that social workers are trying to match kids with just the right families (at least I believe this to be true) and it's a tough job.
The truth is that God is in control, and it's not about us, it's about His will and what's best for the children who are searching for that place to be loved and safe.
The truth is, I can pray for those on the waiting list, in foster homes, and those still crying out for help.

I will wait upon the Lord.

Another Emma Book

While at the library today looking for books for a young reader, I found a book that looked slightly familiar. I immediately recognized the characters on the cover as Max and Emma from Emma's Strange Pet . You can probably just scroll down and see that book on a previous post.

new find

 If I had not read the other book about Max and Emma, I would not have given this book a second glance. Who would want to read a book about a yucky brother. Maybe they should have chosen a different name. I don't know.
Instead of being about a "yucky brother", it is more about the feelings possibly encountered by children where a new sibling is adopted. At first Emma is excited and thinks it will be wonderful, but her new little brother is not all "sugar and spice and everything nice" and it takes them a while to work out their relationship. Another sweet ending of course!

This may be the first in the series since it is the first time Emma meets Max. He comes for a few visits and then comes to stay. Very touching.

New Picture and Verse

As I was adding our new picture, I noticed that part of the verse I had put at the top was being cut off. I fixed it as I thought about how this very verse is the one Josiah has been memorizing this past week. And I pondered why I chose it for this blog.
Our whole life in Christ is about trust. If we believe in Him, we will trust Him.
We do not understand, so we must lean on Him.
We must confess that without Him, we have no hope.
Unless we keep our eyes on Him, our path will be wavering.

Though the waiting seems long, I will trust in Him.

Surprise in a Book

Found this book at the library and thought the kids would like it, since Josiah has been into reptiles lately. In it I found a surprise. The little boy in the book is four and he is adopted. The book doesn't specifically deal with adoption. It's more about sibling relationships and I think any child would enjoy it. In the story, Emma gets an anole for a pet, because she is allergic to furry animals. In the beginning, her brother thinks that any non-furry pet is strange, but later makes an interesting observation and connection with this "strange" pet. And Emma, at first accusing, turns around and does something to build the relationship with her new sibling.

We recently went to the pet store and saw anoles, but we're happy with our frogs and toads for now.

What is Adoption?

Just read this in my Family Homeschool Planner, The Well-Planned Day.
It's the weekly catechism.

Q. What is adoption?

A. Adoption is an act of God's free grace, whereby we are received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.

New Adoption Specialist

We met our new adoption specialist today. She was very nice and upbeat and positive. She came to our house and was pleased with everything she saw, especially the kid's rooms and the trundle beds that Theron had made.
It kind of renewed our enthusiasm and made us hopeful that something could happen soon.
When I first heard her name, I thought of Anita Renfroe, but her name is Helen. She shares a name with both of our moms (mine and Theron's).
She interacted with Hannah and Josiah and was relaxed and easy to talk to.

What I've Been Reading

This book came highly recommended by a friend and I finally laid my hands on a copy.

What's New?

Theron's parents got to start the New Year off together in their new place. It's like an apartment. They have two rooms -a sitting room/kitchen and a bedroom. Mom Rose wears a call button around her neck, they get their meds brought to them, meals are prepared for them in the cafeteria, and they are given help throughout the day.

They have furniture from their own home, so it feels like home for them and they are adjusting well.

We had a family get together at Christmas over lunch and got a picture of Grandma and Grandpa with their son and three daughters and their families in the gathering room at Parkwood where they are living.