Four Years Ago

Activity of all sorts and intensity fill most every waking second of my days.  Today, a rainy Saturday, began the same.  We hit the ground running, and if we are lucky, the race slows around 7:30 in the evening.  

Maddie, my bio baby, had her tenth birthday this year.  Julia would have been five.  But, there are now three other littles who are five or younger still living in our house.  Today marks the day four years ago that these little ones were carried through our front door and settled into our hearts.  They are rough and are about ready to drive me nuts, but they have changed our life forever.  

Dinner conversation tonight celebrated our large family, by discussing how our lives had been changed in four years:

The kids sleep in different bedrooms and have new roommates.

We own larger vehicles.

Laura built us a bigger kitchen table.

Our dining room is now a school room.

We have a new tv.

At least this is what my kids came up with off the cuff.

After further contemplation, I added to the list on my own.

I have seen God in a refreshing way in the middle of a tiring struggle.

I have learned to exist on much less sleep.

Coffee is now my drink of choice.

My house has been much more clean in days gone by.

I now cook two 9x13 pans for dinner.

Even after four years, we still travel with a double stroller in each van.

I learned to love a Mobi Wrap.

Change sometimes hurts.  Many times it evokes smiles.  In God's calendar, change is inevitable.  His interruptions redirect my intentions.  The change is not always welcome, but it is nevertheless essential.

These four children whom God has placed into our home have changed our lives in ways we could never had imagined.