yoothgeye
I build stuff.
Thanksgiving... my family never had a tradition when I was growing up, mostly just like any other day off, like a Saturday when the family was home.
My wife always had a big deal family thing at her grandma's house, I went there, then grandma died about 9 years ago, so Aunt Nancy took the tradition to her house. Nancy isn't as fun as grandma was, but we went nonetheless.
Last year Nancy wouldn't let my kids color in coloring books with crayons on the floor, we vowed we'd never go back.
Fast forward to this year. A boy who went to our church was put in a group home early in Summer because his step mom couldn't deal with him, he had been living with an abusive/drunk uncle for a year, mostly on his own, but he loved church and we loved him. He called asking if he could stay with our family for the holiday and we took him in. His story would make you gasp, he needed some "normal" family time.
He arrived the day before Thanksgiving and we treated him like one of our own. Aunt Nancy decided to push Thanksgiving to Saturday and we still weren't going, but my wife's mother talked her into it, so my response, "OK, but I'm not going to like it."
Nancy's son and his wife take in foster kids and 6 weeks ago I learned about 2 girls (6 and 10) that they got one midnight, dad is out of the picture fighting for the country overseas, but didn't have anything to do with the girls anyway and mom locked them in the closet to go on a drug binge, nobody knows how long they were in the closet but they were both very underweight (the 10 year old under 50 pounds).
Well, I went to Nancy's, there were 34 family members there. I sat away from the crowd and a little girl came up to me and started talking to me about her imaginary dog, I am a kid person (youth guy) so I joined in her fantasy and soon we were best buds. Beautiful, sweet, loving, fun, just awesome all around, she was the 6 year old. The 10 year old and I hit it off too, but a bond was there with the younger one and me.
It was hard to leave, I had managed to just live in the moment while I was there, but when I got in the car and thought about those girls locked in a closet I lost it and cried my eyes out, and then again yesterday a couple times and I probably won't make it through today.
I was glad I went to Aunt Nancy's house.
This was a Thanksgiving that I actually felt more thanks than normal, I needed it, my sympathy has been expanded greatly.
My wife always had a big deal family thing at her grandma's house, I went there, then grandma died about 9 years ago, so Aunt Nancy took the tradition to her house. Nancy isn't as fun as grandma was, but we went nonetheless.
Last year Nancy wouldn't let my kids color in coloring books with crayons on the floor, we vowed we'd never go back.
Fast forward to this year. A boy who went to our church was put in a group home early in Summer because his step mom couldn't deal with him, he had been living with an abusive/drunk uncle for a year, mostly on his own, but he loved church and we loved him. He called asking if he could stay with our family for the holiday and we took him in. His story would make you gasp, he needed some "normal" family time.
He arrived the day before Thanksgiving and we treated him like one of our own. Aunt Nancy decided to push Thanksgiving to Saturday and we still weren't going, but my wife's mother talked her into it, so my response, "OK, but I'm not going to like it."
Nancy's son and his wife take in foster kids and 6 weeks ago I learned about 2 girls (6 and 10) that they got one midnight, dad is out of the picture fighting for the country overseas, but didn't have anything to do with the girls anyway and mom locked them in the closet to go on a drug binge, nobody knows how long they were in the closet but they were both very underweight (the 10 year old under 50 pounds).
Well, I went to Nancy's, there were 34 family members there. I sat away from the crowd and a little girl came up to me and started talking to me about her imaginary dog, I am a kid person (youth guy) so I joined in her fantasy and soon we were best buds. Beautiful, sweet, loving, fun, just awesome all around, she was the 6 year old. The 10 year old and I hit it off too, but a bond was there with the younger one and me.
It was hard to leave, I had managed to just live in the moment while I was there, but when I got in the car and thought about those girls locked in a closet I lost it and cried my eyes out, and then again yesterday a couple times and I probably won't make it through today.
I was glad I went to Aunt Nancy's house.
This was a Thanksgiving that I actually felt more thanks than normal, I needed it, my sympathy has been expanded greatly.
We always said that if God really wanted us to have more kids that either things would "grow back together" :shock: (it happens) or we would feel nudged towards adoption.
