One Size Does not Fit All

There are probably some who would say our above average sized family is too big.  If you ask me on a weekday morning when we are in the throws of getting ready for school, I might just agree.  However, most of the time, I love the size of our family.  And for quite some time we have considered the possiblity that there is still room for more.  Apparently the State of Illinois doesn't think so.  Last fall we renewed our foster parent license.  We learned alot since the girls joined us and felt prepared to be a family for a child even if it was just for a short time. 

Yesterday we got "the" call.  There was a 6 year old girl who needed a home and it seemed she would be a good fit for our family.  At that moment, I was reminded of how I felt when they called to tell us Haley and Christine were coming home.  I was nervous, excited and my heart was full.  It's a really good feeling.  Then it all came to a sudden stop.  Our licensing worker called to tell us it wasn't going to happen.   Somewhere along the way the rules had changed and with 6 children, the State of Ilinois thought our family was already big enough.

My heart was broken.  Only God can put love in my heart for a child I have never met.  I have faith that the family they found for her was better than us.  Still, I wish it could have been us to help her grow and sort out some of the things that were going on in her crazy world.  Today, it would not be us.  I don't believe the Lord has closed this door, maybe opening a different one down the road.  I do know God will not let the bureaucracy of our state stand in the way of His plan.  They may think they know what the perfect size for our family is, but only God has that figured out.

Running shoes and insulin pumps

Haley and I are off on a new adventure together.   She was very disappointed with the meager distance of the kids run at the 5K for Orphans and really wanted to "go the distance" of a a real race.   So we headed to the store and bought her some running shoes and UnderArmour and we started training.

I did a little research beforehand to know what the appropriate distance for a child her age is.  The general consensus is that her grade in school is a good measuring stick for the distance she can run.  She started 3rd grade a couple weeks ago so 3 miles is what we will work up to. 

The challenging part of training with Haley will be helping her manage her blood sugar along the way.  On one run this week, about a mile from home she told me she felt low.  Ugh.  It hadn't been that long since dinner so I had not come prepared.   Lesson learned.  Never head out without something to take care of a low.  When you consider the weather, her mood, and variety of other factors can effect her blood glucose level, this will be quite an adventure.  But it's a good thing because the more experience she has in predicting how her body will use the insulin, the more confident and independent she will become in managing her health.

Haley is already up to two miles.  She will be making her 5K debut at the 5K for the Baby Fold on October 8th.   It is a great race for us to do because we are so thankful for the help of the folks at the Baby Fold for helping build our family.  If you are up for a run we would love for you to join us!

Moving Forward for the Children.

If you were following the begining of this journey, you might be wondering how it ended.  Well,  it was fantastic!  We had a great time training together and we raised over $850 for Amazima ministries.  We had to make a last minute substitution in the team lineup when a case of strep throat got the best of Chuck.  We were thankful to have Amy available to take his place and boy was she fast!! 

Along the way I learned that this may not be the time in my life to undertake a big effort like starting a non-profit organization.  However, my desire to serve the forgotten children of the world was deepened.  Having a purpose for my running was a really good thing.  One of the greatest pleasure I had in this event was watching Rebecca finish her leg of the relay.  She was so excited, she probably could have run the next leg purely on adrenaline.  This was the first race of this distance for her.  To watch her go from doubting she could run a mile to finishing 7 with ease was just a blast to watch.  I can see helping others develop their own love of running being a big part of the next chapter in this story.

So where do I go from here?  For now, I will be using this blog to highlight some great organiztions that are serving children in various ways.  Along side that, my family and I have some plans of our own for mixing running and orphan relief.   So please come back and visit.  Only God knows what path we will run down next.