We have a Due Date (Sort of)

When you are pregnant with a child one of the first questions you hear is, "When are you due??" Our journey to foster care is so completely different than a pregnancy, but no less exciting and probably a little bit {ok, a LOT} scarier. (Especially since this would be my 4th pregnancy so by this time it's old hat.)

Well, I'm pleased to tell you that our Homestudy date is schedule for June 5th! From that point on I believe I could answer like most expectant mothers past 37 weeks... "any time now!".

Please pray for us as we continue in this process.

Comfortable

Life in the country is comfortable. It is very easy for me to feel happy where we are. In fact, I had that exact thought multiple times on Sunday. The first was in a conversation at church where it struck me that life is, for lack of a better word, easy. Then after the children napped on Sunday we walked across the street to the barns and strolled around. I re-lived a precious moment from when I was probably 6 or 7 years old and living in this place. I walked up the small hill of the bank barn, and skipped down with the breeze in my face and my arms outstretched like wings. Trent had a good laugh at the childishness of the moment and the girls thought it looked like fun. I was below the stone wall watching my dear children skip in the grass with a bright blue sky and cotton ball clouds above them and felt that "God's in His Heaven, all's right in the world." (Robert Browning)

As Trent and I talked and the children played, I told him that we could live here, with our three precious girls, and be very comfortable. But, is that what life is all about? Being comfortable?

Maybe life for some, but not for me, for my Christan walk. Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that I am not trying to be judgmental on how others live their Christian lives. I am just sharing my story.

Romans 6:22 (NIV) "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."

I think this verse in many ways describes why I feel the way I do. As a follower of Christ, I have been set free from sin. In this instance, I would say my sin could be called being "comfortable" or (Revelation 3:16 ) "lukewarm". Since being free, I am now a slave or servant of God. As such, I MUST do as He says. Although I could choose not to do as He says, I would not reap holiness. To those who cannot (even as fellow Christians) understand why I have a desire to open my home to foster children, this is the best I can answer you: At the end of my life, I will be standing face to face with my Creator. I want Him to say to me, "Well done good and faithful servant" (Matt 25:23) I do not want Him to say, "You wicked, lazy servant!" (Matt 25:26)

We anticipate our homestudy to be sometime in June. At some point after that, life for us will change. We may not be as comfortable as we once were, but I have no doubt in my mind that our lives will be forever changed for the better.

Sunrise Hollow

I know it's old fashioned and if I didn't read so many L.M. Montgomery books the idea would probably never have come to me. But I do, so the idea came.

Our house was built in 1860. A house like ours should have a name.

Trent hasn't done the research yet to figure out who built our home, but whoever did knew what they were doing. The location (other than being close to the road, which at the time was dirt/gravel and rarely traveled except by slow moving horse & buggies so it didn't really matter) is perfect!! The house sits in a small valley and has lots of windows. Every morning the east side of our house is greeted with a beautiful sunrise and in the evening the west side glows with the sunset. Since our children have always been early risers., the sunrise was one of the first things I came to appreciate about the house. We certainly never saw any sunrises in the city. Too many buildings blocking the view.

Our "master bedroom" is in the back of the house above the kitchen. There are 5 windows in our room. Two of those windows face directly due East. When I wake up in the morning the girls or Trent will pull back the curtain so I can see the sunrise. It's lovely. I'm not much of a singer, but I often find the words to the hymn "the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning, Great is thy faithfulness Oh, Lord, Great is thy faithfulness" on my lips on these beautiful mornings. {And on the particularly pink mornings I hear "Morning has Broken" but in my head it is always Cat Stevens singing!} I find it so easy to be full of joy while living here, in the country, in this house, at this time.


If you haven't guessed it, I have decided that our house will be called "Sunrise Hollow" from here on out. It just makes sense for this house to have a name. I like to say things like, "Are you ready to head back to Sunrise Hollow?" or "This is our first Spring at Sunrise Hollow. Look at these lovely irises that the girls and I planted today, dear." It just has a nice ring to it. The photos really don't do justice to the hot pink morning skies that we are privy to nearly every morning. How can you not believe in God when you see something like this?