One More Home

Today, I'm asking that we take a break from the Holleran's whirlwind ride to welcoming a daughter home. I'm suggesting that we all take a step back. In fact, let's keep walking until we get to the coastline. Maybe you're standing on the shore of North Carolina looking out at the Atlantic, or maybe our imaginary journey has brought you to a California beach looking out at the Pacific. Could be you're even reading from some foreign land and there's a different body of blue that fills your eyesight. Either way, when we look across that water, there's a resource for orphan care I think we skip right over. I love America. I think it's a huge blessing that when God decided where to plant my little life, He placed me in a land with so many things to be thankful for. Each and every day I realize I have so much more than I need. It's wonderful. However, this doesn't label me as the perfect solution to every child in crisis. That's hard to ...

In a word, no. They really don't. If you are like me and have this new desire and passion, you want everyone to share your enthusiasm. Come on, people, let's all go fill our homes with as many children as we can! So let me be honest when I say, that's not the way it goes. In fact, a response you'll more likely get is a slight tilt of their head as they stare at you and mull over the news you've just shared. Then come the questions. Oh, the questions. Whether you've decided to adopt, foster, go on a long term mission trip to Africa, move to the other side of the U.S., or quit your job to pursuit your love of cooking, there are going to be questions. And after being questioned by not one, or two, but many, many people, you may start to get a little snippy. It starts to feel personal. All I wanted is for you to be happy for me, but instead, I feel like I have to defend my position. I have been there, my friend. And after thinking about the motives behind ...

And we're off, friends! As of Monday, this home study thing is in full swing, and part one of the four part process (not including paperwork collecting, physical completing, blood work, projected earning for the year 2020 of all our stocks, full brain scans, mental evaluation of the dog, etc, etc. Okay, so maybe not some of those last few things...) is complete! Shew, I'm exhausted. Leading up to Monday's appointment, I had case of the nerves that only grew larger with every passing minute. I don't know about you, but I am a physical worrier. In that, I walk around with a constant feeling of nausea, loss of sleep, general tossing and turning, fretting, and a dose of imagining all that could go wrong. I know this is wrong. So wrong, that I will mix all these symptoms with repeated prayers for God to relieve my nervousness and forgive me for not trusting that He's got this, and yet a half an hour later, I am jumbled mess again. Worry. Pray. Rinse. Repeat. I did...