We all throw around the saying “it takes a village” while joking about carpools… but seriously it DOES take a village to just get through everyday life, let alone the more challenging times we all face.
I’ve been spending a lot of time sitting in gratitude for our village… Because it has turned out to be far deeper and wider than we could have ever imagined and we are so incredibly grateful!
What does a real, life-giving village look like??? For us, it’s been…
- Family and friends helping us break through barriers to bring our kids home because they were willing to call and pursue leads with politicians, attorneys, etc.
- Online chat groups with people I may never meet in person, but who were willing to share their experiences, advice, etc.
- Adopting without insurmountable debt because our village helped us fundraise
- Strangers during our travel that paid for meals, bought us gifts, etc.
(Thank you, especially, to the man in the Brussels airport who bought me a box of chocolates and instructed me to hide them in my laundry room for an inevitable rough day… that day came and I ate them all!)
(Thank you, especially, to the man in the Brussels airport who bought me a box of chocolates and instructed me to hide them in my laundry room for an inevitable rough day… that day came and I ate them all!)
- Meals delivered to our door for 2+ months so that our time during transition could be prioritized on connecting with our new family
- Coffee dates and support groups with other adoptive moms… many of whom I just met, but spend hours with, digging in deep
- Countless carpools, playdates and sleepovers that have helped maintain a sense of normalcy for our bio kids
- My parents, who have just sat with me so that I wouldn’t be alone when kids endure trauma-related raging
- Friends who show up at your house, late at night, on 5 minutes notice to take your kids out of the house during emergencies
- Texts, e-mails, calls of encouragement… and a ton of prayer from friends, church and bible study companions on our behalf behind the scenes
- A friend showing up at our door with all of the products you need to take care of your new kids’ haircare
- Bottles of wine dropped on our front porch
- Forgiveness and grace from other parents when our child makes bad choices that hurt others
- Teachers going above and beyond in ways I couldn’t foresee to make all four kids feel loved, special and encouraged.
(And I just need to pause here to say, God ordains the people who surprisingly show up in your village! Cora and Esther were assigned a teacher who has personal experience with foster care and kids from trauma backgrounds. James’ teacher has a heart for international kids and was already familiar with Sierra Leone because her church does mission work there. Asher’s teachers have been INCREDIBLE. He gets notes, hugs, lunch dates, etc. It’s been incredible.)
(And I just need to pause here to say, God ordains the people who surprisingly show up in your village! Cora and Esther were assigned a teacher who has personal experience with foster care and kids from trauma backgrounds. James’ teacher has a heart for international kids and was already familiar with Sierra Leone because her church does mission work there. Asher’s teachers have been INCREDIBLE. He gets notes, hugs, lunch dates, etc. It’s been incredible.)
I share all of this because I can’t imagine going through life right now without this village behind us… I’d call out everyone by name, but I’m sure I’d miss someone and feel horrible about the oversight. Relationships like these - this is the good in the world! We can all be a part of someone’s village! (And when our life calms down, I am intent on going back to proactively being a giver, not a receiver, in the villages around me!)
I thank my God every time I remember you. - Philippians 1:3
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