LOVE HOPES: April 2008

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Don't Leave Kids With Dad

Remember that ladies retreat I went on? Well, while I was gone this was the scene at the local drive in burger joint. What is Daniel's blue hair you ask? Well, it is a popped squishy ball stretched over his head like a wig of course. DUH! Sadly, an innocent neighbor girl was dragged along for the spectacle. The good news - they did eat, apparently, while I was gone. The bad news - this picture was taken before the "dance party in the bed of the truck" scene. Excuse me while I blot my tears of pride...

New Name

I decided to put a new heading on the blog. Not because I feel less blessed than before. Mostly because I got bored staring at the old one every day, and this is kind of like rearranging furniture in blog land. My new name - Love Hopes - is how I am feeling lately. It comes, of course from the love chapter 1 Corinthians 13. My love for my kids, my family, and my life hopes. It hopes that we are where we need to be. It hopes that the future is good. It hopes that God will fill in the gaps that I leave. So, I hope that your love feels hopeful today(:

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Words Get In The Way

Perhaps you have noticed it has been a long time since my last real entry. Hopefully you have not because your life is way too full and exciting to care! I can't tell you how many times I have come to sit in front of the computer to share with you all I am feeling. And I would sit...and sit... and then a kid would need me, or the phone would ring, or a dog would need to go out. So, here I am, finally ready...I think, to give words to the jumble that has been on my heart.

March 10th G turned seven years old. He was not in a good place at the time. His party was kept small with just family and a few close friends who we consider family. The day after his birthday we met with his new psychiatrist. She was great. I really liked her. She gave us a prescription. I filled it and then got on line to do some research and got more and more scared. I hated the idea of my son having to take this for the rest of his life. It really freaked me out. But then I remembered how G had said he wanted to die, the grief that came over him as he tried to understand why he wasn't like everyone else. I remembered the anger, the rages, the broken stuff. I decided I HAD to do SOMETHING. So, I gave him his first dose. And then I cried.

And then, although I didn't realize it at the time, I think I shut down for a while. I put a do not enter sign on my heart, and refused to acknowledge any new emotions. I was spiritually and emotionally spent, drained, done, over it.

April 4th and 5th was our churches women's retreat. I went. Depserate for the Lord to meet me there. I knew He was the only thing that was going to make it ok. He came through in amazing ways. He let me grieve and cry and yell. He didn't chastise me for it. Instead, He held out his arms and comforted me and reminded me that I am His precious daughter. He took me to scripture after scripture about being in the dry places, the place of bitterness, the place of Naomi's "marah". He showed me that I was not alone in that place. Then He revealed some of my heart to me. He showed me the fear that I have let consume me. Fear of not being a good enough Mother, Wife, Friend, Christian. Fear of the things I cannot control in my children's lives. He asked me to lay it down. To give it to Him. Just as He did for the Israelites in the desert, He made my bitter water to be sweet. It was a precious time with the Lord, and I am so thankful that He is ever patient and ever gracious to continue to meet me where I am.

So, here we are a month and a half later and things are going so well with G. He is really making huge improvements. It's good, but I hate to think it's the medication. I don't want that to be the problem, and I don't want him to have to be on this forever. But I have put my fears about it at the Lord's feet and I am enjoying the good days. I can see G really trying to stop and think before he explodes. He is affectionate and loving and so many of his insecurities about his place in our family are coming to the surface now that he can give voice to them. It has been so hard to watch him grieve for his birth mom, for the loss of what his life would've been with her. He is a compassionate soul, and he genuinely worries about her. I am beginning to see that his anger was a shield to protect his very tender soul. I am so proud of him. He is working through things that no 7 year old should have to think about.

So, things are pretty good right now. I need God's grace to get me through each day. But that is a good thing. I hope I never begin to feel self sufficient!

In other news: D's end of the year preschool program is tonight. Stay tuned for adorable pictures and maybe even video(;