About that picture at the top of my blog: it is a good one. It is also very difficult to photograph 10 people so we are learning to embrace the natural look which will include several people looking in different directions. Isn't that kind of how it is all the time anyway?
Back to the picture: it was taken near the easternmost part of our country at a friend's house while we were on vacation on the coast. When we planned this vacation, Trey was on target to go home to be with his father prior to our leaving. In fact, I was hoping he would go home for good right before we left so we could have a change in our surroundings and would not mope around at home missing him (inevitable). It seemed like a good plan. It didn't work out that way and near vacation time we realized he would be coming with us. Well, that changed things. Taking an almost two year old who is very busy changed things a lot.
That didn't sit well with me. I had made a plan. Now, if you know our relationship with Trey, you know that it is a very special one. Very special. I can safely say that I fell in love with him quickly and he had my heart strings early on. There is something about him. He's bright and loving and mischievous and busy and fun! But part of our ministry as foster parents is loving them like our own until their family can be a safe part of their life and then sending them home with all that we gave.
I had a little attitude because vacation, albeit wonderful, was not as restful as I had hoped. When you have a two year old, you kind of have to be "on" whenever he isn't sleeping. Of course, we still had a great time and I'm sure Trey enjoyed himself. Trey was still in the transition process of going home and his target date had been pushed back to August.
On August 4, Trey did leave to live with his father. On August 17, Trey came back home mostly because he, himself, without being able to say any words, was able to communicate who he wanted his forever family to be. This was unexpected and I was amazed how God could change our lives in one instant, one phone call, just like that.
That same friend, whose yard we took that picture in, had a lot of wisdom when I showed her the picture taken in June. She said, "You know, if Trey had not gone with you on vacation, he would not have been in that picture." I learned a hard lesson about "my way" on that one. We would have had all these family pictures of a vacation without Trey and that would have been very sad since he was destined to be part of our family forever all along.
Back to the picture: it was taken near the easternmost part of our country at a friend's house while we were on vacation on the coast. When we planned this vacation, Trey was on target to go home to be with his father prior to our leaving. In fact, I was hoping he would go home for good right before we left so we could have a change in our surroundings and would not mope around at home missing him (inevitable). It seemed like a good plan. It didn't work out that way and near vacation time we realized he would be coming with us. Well, that changed things. Taking an almost two year old who is very busy changed things a lot.
That didn't sit well with me. I had made a plan. Now, if you know our relationship with Trey, you know that it is a very special one. Very special. I can safely say that I fell in love with him quickly and he had my heart strings early on. There is something about him. He's bright and loving and mischievous and busy and fun! But part of our ministry as foster parents is loving them like our own until their family can be a safe part of their life and then sending them home with all that we gave.
I had a little attitude because vacation, albeit wonderful, was not as restful as I had hoped. When you have a two year old, you kind of have to be "on" whenever he isn't sleeping. Of course, we still had a great time and I'm sure Trey enjoyed himself. Trey was still in the transition process of going home and his target date had been pushed back to August.
On August 4, Trey did leave to live with his father. On August 17, Trey came back home mostly because he, himself, without being able to say any words, was able to communicate who he wanted his forever family to be. This was unexpected and I was amazed how God could change our lives in one instant, one phone call, just like that.
That same friend, whose yard we took that picture in, had a lot of wisdom when I showed her the picture taken in June. She said, "You know, if Trey had not gone with you on vacation, he would not have been in that picture." I learned a hard lesson about "my way" on that one. We would have had all these family pictures of a vacation without Trey and that would have been very sad since he was destined to be part of our family forever all along.
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