Never Ever Dull
With every conversation, I always seem to end with "Never a dull moment"....our lives are rich, complex, and beautiful stories. Join me in laughing about everyday things and appreciating life-bumpy roads and all.
When I first saw his eyes, I knew: he was the one. He was underweight, so very slender. I could scoop him up with one arm as if he was simply a bag of marshmallows. He had patches of brittle hair and then countless bald spots. His head was flattened in the back from all the time he spent in a crib without being picked up and held. His skin was splotchy with scabies (not scurvy-that's what the pirates had!).. He had strabismus, a condition that made him look cross-eyed with his lazy eye straying outwards with a glassy look. ' We adopted Ruslan when he was 4 1/2 years old from Karaganda, Kazakhstan. We thought he would be excited to leave Nezabudcha and fly across the big pond and become part of lives in Charlottesville. I kept thinking it would be like a scene from one of my favorite movies "Annie". I kept waiting for him to jump up and down with joy. But that didn't happen. He was hesitant to leave the world he knew-potatoes, carrots, & a biscuit every day, his 13 friends that he shared a room with day and night, and his care givers (who really did care for him as much as they could). You'd think he'd be happy to see that we were opening gigantic doors that would lead him down a path filled with love from friends and family, doctors who could help him, and a better life. You'd think that.... But my KazKid didn't. He fought me hard, head-butting, nails digging into me as I tried to hug him and show him love.for those first 12 long months. He just didn't understand...yet. It's been a journey for all of us, but I get it. I can relate to how he felt in some ways. You see, when I think about my heavenly Father, I see how he "adopted" me, a very imperfect person, As I look to Him, I can doubt if He really knows what's best. To be honest, I fight and resist too. I can't "see" what's best and can easily slide back to my former ways, handling life as I know it and as I think it should be. There are many parallels with adoption and our relationship with God.. Both adoption journeys can be bumpy but the more we trust and are willing to draw close, the more we understand how beautiful our lives can really be.
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AuthorFun-loving mom to 4 kids and 1 big puppy. Fifth grade teacher of amazing little people who have never ending things to share with me. Love to discuss Jesus, diy projects, and life. Trying to keep it simple: Love Jesus, love people. Archives
December 2021
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