Tuesday, March 16, 2010

3 years

On February 18, 2006 our family grew by 2. Many of you began reading my blog at that time to follow along as our newly-larger family meshed & stretched in those early days. The 13 months that followed were so many things. So many emotions...

Happy, yet unbelievably sad.

Fun, yet undeniably tense.

Growth, while stunningly painful.

Hope....comfort....mourning....loss.

When I think back to the morning of March 16, 2007, my eyes well up. I envision sweet Kourtney curled in my lap with big ol' tears running down her cheeks telling me how much she wanted to stay. I remember seeing Andrew climb into the SUV without looking back, ready to embark on a new adventure. I see the truck pulling away. I feel my heart breaking all over again. I remember falling into Larry's arms and sobbing until my sides hurt while standing in the front yard. I watched as my in-laws pulled away & drove home and knew it was really over.

I have no doubt that we made the right choice. We filled those kids with more Jesus in the time they were with us than they'll probably get in the rest of their lives. We loved them deeply, held them closely, walked through life with them. But it still hurts like heck. It's hard to believe that they've been gone for three years now.


If you don't know our story of growth & then loss, the easiest way to catch up is to read this post, then this one (part 2 to the first one).

2 comments:

Kenda Bilberry said...

I still remember picking Sarah and Kourtney up from Kindergarten at Cain, they were always the first to come give me a hug! I think of them often and pray they are doing well. I am thinking about you today on this anniversary and hoping you know what a difference you made in their life whether they will ever know it or not.

BethanyL said...

I know how bad it hurt then and it still hurts now. I'm so sorry! I'm confident that the time they spent with you was enough to start the healing process and changed the course of their lives forever in a positive way. Love all of you so much!