Decided to go for a run tonight after returning home from Chad's visitation. I donned my running gear and my flashing red lights. I love running in the cold dark (no sarcasm, I really do!) I so enjoyed checking out the Christmas lights. From a simple candle in one window to the 100,000 light show complete with the Juggling Santa and Christmas Ferris wheel. I like to display some lights; red and green "icicles" dangling from the roof's edge, white lights edging the garage "barn doors", green lights down the downspouts, green and red candles in the windows. The lighting scheme changes from year to year, but for the last four years the tree out front has looked the same. That is because I have never taken those lights down. Each year we have gone out, plugged them in and the tree of 2003 lights up. Each year we have seen how much the tree has grown. The tree is a spruce and is quite a bit larger than it was four years ago. It is a fun family tradition that is sure to end soon. . . or maybe when those lights fail we can put on some new ones and continue. I know my wife is very pleased that I did not decorate the dead lawn tractor [1986 Wheel Horse] again this year. I decorated the tractor while waiting for Kim to come home from the hospital with Chad. We had both spent the last week at the hospital being trained on how to care for him. The tractor was spectacular.
Chad's father was not at visitation today, but his grandmother was. She is a sweet 62 year old woman who is the main caregiver for Chad's two year-old sister. She seems to have a peace about us continuing to care for Chad. We are invited to her brother's house on Christmas Eve. It will be fun - good food, gospel music, and a celebration of Christ's birth with our new expanded family. We visited Chad's grandmother's Church for a dedication service for Chad's sister. Surprisingly Chad's father invited us up to dedicate Chad. We have come the the realization that if we are so blessed as to be able to adopt Chad we will be welcomed into a new family. This is not your typical Fostering experience. Today she gave each of my girls a crisp twenty for Christmas.
It is amazing how things begin to work when you "give up" the control that you do not have anyway.
Today we came home from visitation with a tiny five pound baby girl. My girls are in a state of delight. They can not get enough of loving on babies. It makes my heart burst with JOY to see the unconditional love these incredible girls have. My wife and I have hardly had a chance to even hold her. The girls picked up this tiny baby with more confidence than me. I was afraid I might break such a tiny little thing. We will only have her for a day or a few, but I know she will leave an everlasting impact on each member of my family. My wife just took another picture. . .
1 comment:
I'm just glad that you didn't decorate the toilet that's decorating our back yard!
I liked the tractor. It looked like a big toy on the lawn.
The Griswald's better look out!
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