Fourth Blessing

Have I written about our fourth blessing? Our first two were David and his brother, our third was Z and our fourth was C. He came to us at 13 months and was with our family for only one week, but he was one of those children that taught me how quickly I could attach. With Z, it took a month or two for both of us to attach to each other. I loved her and cared about her, but it took a little while for me to love her with a mother's love. You know what I mean...it is that "no matter what you do...it won't change how much I love you" kind of love.

Anyway, I think that the quick attachment had more to do with him than me. Here is a description of the day we met him:

"The Call" came in the late afternoon on a spring day. I offered to come pick him up from social services and I think they felt relieved about that. So...David and I were off. We made it to social services a little after 5pm and so someone had to unlock the doors for us. We waited....and waited...and waited. I was a little nervous and prayed for God to give me the ability to comfort this little toddler. Then we heard cries and screams. They didn't stop for a good 30 minutes and I so badly wanted to find out where they were coming from and help this little child.

I remember sneaking upstairs and running into the social worker because I was a little tired of waiting. That's when I saw him...tears streaming down his face. Supposedly he hadn't stopped crying since they picked him up from daycare. His social worker handed him over to me and I didn't really make eye contact at first. Instead, I started singing songs with David and it wasn't long before C was calmed down. It was then that I began making eye contact with him and continued singing more songs. I asked the social workers questions about contact information for his family, signed papers, and headed home...singing the whole way:).

C knew I was safe and attached very quickly to me, which is probably why I attached so quickly to him. His smile was absolutely adorable and I loved his hugs! His family cared for him deeply and in one week he was able to move in with his aunt and uncle. We felt very happy with this outcome because we knew that he was in wonderful hands. We also knew that his mommy and daddy were working hard to get him back home. This didn't make it easier to say goodbye. I'm sure the fact that Z had just returned home a few months prior made it even more challenging.

We were able to keep in touch and although it has been a while, today we were able to visit C who is officially back with his mommy! He has grown SO much and wow...what an amazing experience. He probably doesn't remember who we are, but there was a short time that he just stared into my eyes as though he knew who I was and I stared back at him, smiling. My heart melted for him all over again!

Thank you, God, for the blessing of your children. I feel privileged to be able to be a part of their lives no matter how long or short...and what a great gift to be able to watch how they are growing up!