Interesting week ahead... God is in control

Well, its safe to say that this life is far from boring.  Today our niece will be born, any minute now in fact.  Tomorrow we meet Booger's new family.  This coming weekend we'll make sure we have everything together that needs to go with him for his permanent move the following week.  Then we're going to take a few weeks off to recover, re-group and re-invest in each other as a couple.

There an odd mixture of sadness, grief, excitement, joy, hope, anticipation, gratitude and peace going on in my heart and my head.

We're sad to see our Booger go, though I don't think this is good bye forever.  The family he's going to has expressed a desire to keep us somewhat involved and informed, which is extremely generous of them.  We will miss him and grieve the loss of course.  That goes without saying, but this parting could be much more traumatic and sorrowful.

We're excited to see what God has in store for us though.  This is an adventure to be sure.  I used to fear unknowns, and at times I still do, but for some reason this process is keeping me on the edge of my seat in a good way.  Maybe God wired me for this from the beginning.

We're hopeful that this change is going to be a good thing for our Booger in the long run.  We're also hopeful and wait in joyful anticipation to meet the other kids God has in mind for us to bless and pour into along the way.  We hope that maybe we're inspiring others to take up the cause and advocate for the orphaned and fatherless, and at the same time encouraging others who are already in the trenches with us.

At the moment, the overwhelming feelings I have are gratitude and peace.  I'm grateful for the time we had with Booger and for the way he helped us get our feet wet in dealing with the system.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to have loved on him and started his little life off on the right foot.  I'm grateful for this new family and the gracious way that they're taking this on and their desire to meet with us to make Booger's transition a smooth one.  Above all, God has given me just a peace about this whole thing.  I'm not fearful for Booger's safety or care.  I'm confident he will be loved.  I'm not sure how else to say it...  I'm feeling grief, but there is really not a whole lot of anxiety...  Just peace.

John 14:27New International Version (NIV)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.