Alphabet soup!

If you are involved in foster care or adoption, you know that many of the kids' diagnoses are made up of letters.  ADD, RAD, PTSD, etc...it can get dizzying to read all the letters.  One thing I always try to remember is that these are people we are talking about here.  The kids have been through trauma but they are NOT their diagnoses.  There is so much more to a kid than you will ever read in a child description or hear from a social worker.  On one hand, it's a big deal to learn about the diagnoses and be prepared for them.  On the other hand, get ready to expect the unexpected and just be ready to learn about the child when they arrive!!  Forget all the letters/alphabet soup and just open your eyes to the wonderful creation the Lord has placed in your life!
     I have been thinking a lot about this lately and chewing on it since we got a call for a 'child presentation'.  That means we had agreed to be considered as a match for a child/ren (this time for 2 sisters).  The state permanency consultant and kids' social worker got together and picked us or us and a few others to be a match.  We saw the child description when we were asked if we wanted to be considered but in a 'presentation' they are supposed to give us more info and both 'sides' get to ask questions.  The girls 'presented' to us have various letters as diagnoses and it didn't initially scare us off.  One phone interview w/the social worker and state consultant behind us, we are prayerfully considering moving forward.  We will keep you posted!!
     And now I'm going to steer this blog post in another direction...weird story about me - I used to hate hate hate soup.  I never ate it, really, until I started dating my husband.  He took me to his older brother's house on one of our first dates and my (now) SIL had made soup for dinner.  I tried to be polite!  I ate the chunks and stirred the broth...how the heck do you eat a liquid?!  I felt bad but I couldn't choke down what I considered to be colored water in a spoon!  Now I eat soup, but when I make it I spoon myself mostly chunks and a few spoonfuls of liquid!  We make alphabet soup b/c the kids like it =)  I have been wanting to post a lot lately b/c so many things are happening...our 'soup cup' runneth over w/letters and chunky good stuff!
     I have been subbing (see last post) and I was just asked to continue doing so until after Christmas.  I said yes...but now I'm wondering how to pull this off?!  I'm hard on myself and the places where I let people down, where I don't feel like I can do a good enough job.  I really just want to go to Target, go for hikes in the woods and see if I can find time to visit some of my besties in the Madison area and in TN.  It's all good though, I'm buckling down and finding joy in the small things.  I've got a student who loves sharks and the other day we talked sharks for a good 10 minutes!  He brings me bouquets of fallen leaves that I tape together and keep on the desk.  There are students who are dramatic like me and next door is a teacher so selfless, I have already cried for joy over her example of serving others.  All of this makes me feel so blessed!!
     Friday I had off and a flock of over 20 turkeys showed up in the yard.  They were on the fence, ambling their way into the woods.  They spent the day slowly pecking around on the edge of the woods...they would go south for a bit, come back to the side of the house, and then work their way back just south of our property again.  The next day there were there again...and today I found them in one of the chicken's favorite spots!  Good stuff.  Can't wait 'til we have some hunters in this house!
     Lately Colleen has been having a few rough days.  Of course I try not to blame myself and the fact that I am working, but I know that any change in our house can set off, well, just about anything.  A month or so ago, I started singing her to sleep at night.  (Can't believe she asks me to do that - I can't carry a tune in a bucket!  Paint runs off the wall when I sing!!)  At first I was resistant - hurry up and get to bed! - but then I remembered that for 2 minutes, I am bonding w/my baby and maybe no one ever sang to her when she was tiny.  I praise God for the opportunity to sing to her now.  Two minutes or 5 - who cares?  She needs me.  W/all of our trips to the children's hospital lately, I think her anxiety might be kicking in too.  Either way, it's a blessing to be her mom and I pray I get the opportunity to be the mom to more kids who have alphabet soup needs!