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Making it...

Hello all!!
It's been a while since I've posted anything. I guess that's a good thing! Life has been speeding along with us... We are fully settled and enjoying life as a party of 3. We have had family vacations, holidays, celebrations, losses - all the things a family goes through.
Then, like the rest of you, the pandemic hit our lives and caused a screeching halt. Loren and I have been home for what seems like an eternity. Ryan is mostly home now which is a weight off our minds for his safety but brings it's own set of challenges.
More than ever, I feel proud of my amazing daughter - she is handling this seclusion incredibly well. She is willingly helping with the church drive-through community meal, she is doing her online school work and helping with chores. We have all had our good days and bad days, but I am constantly impressed with her love of others, care for the world around us and her hilarious sense of humor.
We continue to be reminded that not everyone understands what it is to love a "stranger" as your flesh and blood, but we also know that is affirmation of our call to this life.
We recently had a conversation about what my life would have been like if I could have grown a human life... and I think I have finally reached a place where that no longer causes me pain. I her wisdom, when I said my only regret was not getting her as a baby, Loren said "if you had, I wouldn't be ME. I wouldn't have had to live through the things that make me who I am... I would be a totally different person..."
Not only is that true, but it's also the attitude that had me fall head over heels in love with Ryan. Shortly after we started dating and he told me about his past, I felt angry and frustrated that he had lived through many of the things he had. Calmly and lovingly he said almost the exact same words as Loren. "I don't regret any of my life experiences because they had made me who I am" he also explained that those life experiences led us to each other.
While I wish I could take every moment of pain away from the people I love most in this world, I am beyond thankful that life has worked out in a way to bring us together.

Comments

E Smith said…
I have tears as I read this. This has caused the 3 of us to grow as a family and understand each other better. Rick and I have said we would never be where or who we are if we didn't go through the trials and tribulations prior to finding each other. Joey has said the same thing. We have come to the point where we hardly remember life without our hilarious, smart and loving 16-year-old. God bless you and Ryan for being who you are and bringing Loren into your family! I know you feel the same when I tell you that when someone tells me what blessings we are to Joey, I tell them it is he who has been the blessing to us. It made us united as parents and allowed us to love each other in a different capacity. And for that I am eternally grateful! Stay well and please keep posting!
April 14, 2020 at 12:24 PM
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