When a Few Words Are Enough

Okay, I'll admit it...I'm a Jon and Kate Plus Eight fan. I started watching their show last fall, curious to see what all the fuss was about. One episode and I was hooked.

Was it those eight adorable faces, the fact that I'm a people watcher (most writers are), or the drama between Kate and Jon that found me in front of the tube on Monday nights? I'm not sure. I do suspect that having three more children added to our family in September, bringing our count to Ken and Carolyn plus seven (Doesn't quite have the ring to it, does it?), might have had something to do with it. Mothers of many children form an instant bond; we need all the help we can get. We trade survival strategies, share kid-friendly recipes, compare chore charts, etc... I got to watch Kate balance it all on Monday nights. I was encouraged. But now...I'm sad.

Because my heart has been pierced through the years when I've heard it said "Christians are are the only ones who shoot their wounded", I won't write one word about my thoughts regarding Kate and Jon, their marriage, their parenting, their decisions. And I pray that I won't speak my opinion either (I will need God's strength for this one...my lips move before my brain thinks too many times). After all, that's all it would be--my opinion. Enough said.

So what will this fan be doing on Monday nights when I'm tempted to see what's going on at the Gosselin house, and when I see Kate's and Jon's pictures plastered on yet another magazine? I'll be doing what God has called me to do--praying for my christian sister, her family, and my family... in all humility. Enough said.

I Can See Clearly Now

It's when I see a hug I know we made the right decision.

Bounding down the steps on his way to school, my eighteen year old stopped. Three little faces peered up at him, large backpacks engulfing their little bodies. With one arm he gathered them in and gave a squeeze. Their bronze faces brighten; their easy smiles widened, and in unison they giggled, "Bye, Ben."

Last year they didn't have a big brother. This year they have three. And they love them...refer to them all the time as their big brothers.

You see, it has been almost a year since we said yes to the call to bring these three little girls into our home. The details of their history, their story, will be theirs to tell one day...if they so choose. But for now, I will simply say, their past was troubled and they needed a home.

And today I see clearly what God already knew--our home needed them.