Endurance and Faithful Love

It's been a week of reflection for me. I've had so many opportunities to 'revisit the journey' of my life. I am reminded of God's faithful and enduring love every where I turn.

Paul was in serious pain across his chest and down his left arm. His doctors have determined it is bone spurs from arthritis along his collarbone encroaching a nerve. The medicine to reduce the inflammation along with attentive medical care has already begun to offer him some relief. A few pulled muscles seemed to set off the inflammation in the first place. Paul and I will celebrate twenty three years of marriage on Sunday. He's the love of my life and the song in my heart. I am very glad he is on the mend. He's already back at work lugging around thousands of lbs. on pallet jacks. Truckers just get tougher not older. That's what he says any way:-)

The little girl we help care for while she is here from Haiti for life changing medical treatment is having a hard time with the concept of returning. We are all so sad for her. She must leave the joy she has found here surrounded by loving friends only to return to the most basic existence imaginable. I am thankful that there is no immigration office in Heaven. Little Marie will be with us until July. We are hopeful that she will be awarded permission by uscis to return in six months for maintenence on her hearing aides and follow up care that she cannot get in Haiti.

As we prepare to bring Gates home his little dresser that matches Bridger's is filled with his things. There are four drawers. His top drawer is filled with his 'baby' things that we chose for him. Even though he will not be a 'baby' here he will want to have a baby blanket to run for when his brother has his. He will want to see his teething ring and tiny socks and bibs (Bridger chose one that says, "Brother Loves Me") to look at in his treasure box too. We have two very, very tiny pictures of him that were pasted into a corner of his medical files. Those will be his baby pictures. The clothes he is brought to Paul in will have to be returned to the orphanage. He won't even leave China with the clothes on his little back. Why is this world so hard on little ones sometimes? It's beyond comprehension.

The reality of God's mercy in my life surrounds me and hedges me in a protective place as I view the unfairness and often self centeredness of the world around me. Yet I rejoice in the fact that even though 45 million children remain orphaned without hope tonight, I know of many whose parents are making ready to welcome them home for the very first time; Little Jo whose been in and out of hospital way too often will be adored by the Mother who has battled the system for more than a year to rescue him, S.G. whose older brother was in a different orphanage and traveled home two years ago while she still awaits court processing to join her forevef family alongside him, Little S.H. whose Mamma gardens and lovingly paints his room dreaming of the day She, Daddy and Sister A. will hold him at long, long, long, long last! This past Christmas his older sister, who waited once herself asked Santa to take a blanket to him to comfort him from the cold. Our Bridger who was once half a world away, asked Santa to take Gates an orange ball to play with. (I hope they remember to send it home with him from the Children's Recovering Center.) I consider rambunctious toddler, E.P., who came home just this month as Bridger's best buddy Ethan's little brother. Beautiful T.S. who finally joined her sisters on Sanibel just months ago. They are now virtual triplets each six months in age from the next, all with their own dramatic adoption story. My heart swells with the thought of those pulled heroically from the sea of the lost into the determined arms of their advocate parents. We understand that the delays, winding roads and valleys of frustration cannot compare with what our children endured before they reached home. Each one is so very loved and so very, very signifigant.

I'll print the letters from this blog for Gates, I want him to know how we treasure every thought of him and how very precious he is to his family. Mamma loves you Gates. Mamma will always love you. God's love is faithful and enduring, may he continue to equip me in holding on until I'm holding him. I want so much more for the children of this world than what the world has to offer them.

I rest in the knowledge that the Lord does also.