fair warning

So last night (started at 10pm) I steam cleaned the couches. The two couches. Uno. Dos. We got them.... three years ago-ish and intelligently spent a bit extra for the microfiber so that almost no stain was a true stain.

Ummm.
Yeah.

Last night I used just plain old hot water and here's what I got:
For those of you considering having a bazillion kids, consider this fair warning. It doesn't matter that no one is allowed to wear shoes in the house, that all food must be eaten over the table, that showers and tooth brushing are a requirement. Dirt, and I mean mega-disgusting-how-did-so-much-get-in-here-dirt, is inevitable. (I considered taking a picture of the junk I sweep up from the kitchen daily but I figured it might be a bit over redundant.)

the kids + my mom at the zoo

On a different note, I would like to officially invite all of you to the service that is being held whenever the weather is good and the pastor and worship leader feel like it. If you would like a fair warning call so that you can attend the five minute service, I hope that you will be within immediate driving distance so you can see how much I love these dang kids... the preaching is fairly pentecostal so I hope you're comfortable with verbal appreciation for the Lord!

brokenness and disruption

disruption:
–verb (used with object)

1.	to cause disorder or turmoil in: The news disrupted their conference.

2.	to destroy, usually temporarily, the normal continuance or unity of; interrupt: Telephone service was disrupted for hours.

3.	to break apart: to disrupt a connection.

–adjective

4.	broken apart; disrupted.

(as found on this dictionary)

I read on wikipedia this morning that disruptions are "rarely discussed in public." Like politics and religion? HA! Shall we??


If you don't feel like following my links, disruption is the common term used when adoptive parents (for whatever reason) decide that they don't want the child to be a part of their family anymore. It is a legal process that ensures that the child is no longer the adoptive parents responsibility. Thus the child re-enters (or enters for the first time) the foster care system.

I just learned this morning that no such action/law exists if a family has a child biologically. So.... if we legally promise to care for a child, we can exit that covenant. But if we give birth to a sociopath, no such luck; we're stuck with the responsibility for life.

Is that crazy to anyone else? How is it that we as a society can legally enable people to not see these children that they adopted as their own? We aren't responsible to raise the children that we promised to raise?? I recognize that I'm an individual and that I have a unique family compared to everyone else on the planet. And YET I would never ever hand my bio daughter over to the foster care system. NEVER. The girl could run around with steak knives a flailin' and my mind would not be changed.

So why on earth would it even occur to me to do that to a child that I promised that I would raise? And our laws support this kind of thinking! What on earth is wrong with us humans?

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but did you see the bit about Will Smith talking about how he feels about divorce? "It's not even an option." Why don't we, as adoptive parents feel that way towards our own children? That disruption isn't even an option. And he's a scientologist! And I FULLY understand that there are a MINORITY of children that get adopted that have major issues. And yet, if it was your bio kid, what other option would you have? Legally, there would be none.

Sho' makes me thankful that I have a God (or He's got me, rather) who isn't going to disrupt me from our relationship. I was adopted into that family. "God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son." (Eph 1:4-6)

No law can separate me from Him. No one can take that away.

petty

Sometimes I could just SCREAM at the pettiness that people get hyper focused on. Does anyone else see what's going on in the world? Injustice is everywhere and we're whining about silly nonsense.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!


I was reading this last night and it sang the tune so much better than I ever could:

"We are all starved for the glory of God, not self. No one goes to the Grand Canyon to increase self esteem. Why do we go? Because there is greater healing for the soul in beholding splendor than there is in beholding self. Indeed, what could be more ludicrous in a vast and glorious universe like this than a human being, on the speck called earth, standing in front of a mirror trying to find significance in his own self-image? It is a great sadness that this is the gospel of the modern world."

a part of someone else's story

It's going to be 90 degrees here today and the kids were SUPER excited to pull out ye ole summer clothes. The talk of warm weather and warm weather activities spurred on a conversation about Liberia over the breakfast table. Lots and lots of memories of the first time they met Husband and I, as well as when they got dropped off at the orphanage.

I exited the scene to get myself ready and remembered when I was in Liberia and, without knowing it ahead of time, dropped two children off at the orphanage. I wondered if I'll forever be a part of their memory of the day that they got dropped off at the orphanage.

On the drive there, their momma talked about music and who her favorite artist was to another Liberian woman in the van. I sat in the back seat thinking that we were just giving the family a ride to their home. My nephew and I traded a few whispers and then, about 10 minutes later, we pulled up to a place that looked SO familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. I'd never been there but DANG it was familiar. Then it all whooshed into my brain... I had many pictures of my children playing on these steps... this is the orphanage. Why are we at the orphanage?

The mom didn't hug or kiss her children, she just patted their backs as they squeezed out of the door to the van. She stayed seated and watched her children walk across the yard to those familiar steps. It was then that they slipped into the large group of kids leaning over the hand rail, almost blending in. The only way that one could pick them out was to see how everyone but those two beautiful children were laughing and messing around. Those two kids were staring... those two seemed in shock. The son looked at his mom and the daughter into nothingness. The mom, still in the van, says that she thinks her daughter won't look because she doesn't want to cry. It's then that I finally realize that these kids are staying.

The van backs further into the yard so that we can turn around. I watch the mom to make sure that she's okay. She spends a lot of time pretending like she is okay. She glances out the window and gives a half hearted wave to her son. As we pull out of the yard, the van is filled with silence and I wait to see if the mom will look back ... if her and her daughter will make eye contact just one last time. Mom never looks back. But I do. I stare at the girl, with devastation pumping through my thoughts.

The girl looks up, one last time. Red Liberian dust fluffs up between the orphanage and the van.

I wonder if someday she'll be sitting in America wondering who that white woman was over breakfast....

A quickie

not that kinda quickie.

Wanna know how much you're worth as a stay-at-home mom? This website will tell you after you give it a break down of your weekly duties at home as well as your zip. I'm worth $212,894. That's what's up! Now if I could just find someone to write out that paycheck... any takers??

Yesterday Big P, O Dog, and I were dropping off Little P at school. After getting my daily kiss, I say to Little P, "Peace out homeboy," as he climbs out of the van.
Big P then says with a smile, "I'm the homeboy. Little P is the schoolboy."

He thought that was pretty funny. I thought, 'this boy is getting some American wit!'