Life as normal & an incredible story!

 Does this scare you?  Yeah, a bit creepy.  But well, normal at our home :)  Jason has this tea towel that "looks" like English money.  Of course that has the queen's face on it.  So Jason wrapped it around his face and well....then of course everyone had to do it.  I thought I took more pics?  Well, you know so you could be even more creeped out.

So normal.  We are truly living our life as normal now.  Except for on those harder days where we are still adjusting to life that is sooo completely different.  With all the transitions, moving (don't even remind me how many times), and "stuff" we still feel it on those days.  The days when your kiddos are sick, there are too many errands to run, and Joanna is grumpy (I know hard to believe, but it happens).  It is still hard to not have my best friend and hubby around.  Even if it is just to remind me that everything will be ok.

And it is hard for him too.  Especially lately because work is getting busier and no signs of slow down!  They had an employee leave....and they were already looking for another person....so now they are short 2 people.  

So it is great for us that as soon as Jason gets home-

We start our week of VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh praise God!!!  We need some family time.  We need some relax time together!  And we have a bunch of fun planned.  I would tell you on this blog, but some of my kiddos read mommies blog.....and it is top secret until tomorrow!!!!!  So if you are my child and reading this- too bad you will have to wait until tomorrow!!!!

***In other news the homestudy packet hasn't arrived, and I am already getting antsy.  he he he he......yeah.

OK the story behind Mark Shultz's song- What It Means to Be Loved.......get some kleenex!!!!!
“What It Means To Be Loved” is a song that basically wrote itself. I just happened to be in the room when God dropped it in my lap. Its genesis was actually from a story that my wife told me about a family that she’d worked with at the hospital.

The mother was expecting a child and was told that tests revealed health issues that meant the baby probably wouldn’t live long after birth. Although the doctors suggested terminating the pregnancy, the mother decided she would love the child as long as she could. I took those emotions and that unselfish commitment and poured them into the “What It Means To Be Loved” lyrics.

The song starts out:
For five months eight days
My wife and I had waited
Getting ready for our baby girl
But when he called the doctor said, “I need to see you”
And “Could you come in soon”
Something died inside of me to sit with him and hear
A test had said our baby may not live to be a year
And turning to my wife he said
What do you wanna do
She said…

It was at this point of the song when I was writing it that these words just came spilling out:

I wanna give her the world
I wanna hold her hand
I wanna be her mom for as long as I can
I wanna live every moment, until that day comes
I wanna show her what it means to be loved…

And I knew as soon as I hit this chorus and tears were running down my face that this is one I’m going to be playing for a long time. It’s the only song that I’ve ever played in concert where it got a standing ovation before the end of the first chorus was over.

To me, what the song says is that we as Christians are called to love. If that means loving a baby that’s going to be here for 7 minutes or 70 years, it doesn’t make any difference, you just wrap your arms around them and pour yourself into them.

I love the last bridge going to this:

Well ever since the day
We got to bring her home
She’s been out to prove the doctors wrong
You should see her now
She’s as pretty as her mom
And there’s a boy at the front door waiting just to take her to her high school prom
And he wants to give her the world
Wants to hold her hand

Inspired by this family’s story, my wife continued to look at the implications for our own family. She said, “Since you’re adopted I think we should adopt kids too.” I said, “Ok that’s fine.” She said, “I think we should adopt kids maybe with special needs.” And I said, “Ok, that seems like a tall order.” She continued, “Maybe someday we adopt kids with special needs that the doctor only knows they’re going to live for a year or two.” I responded, “Honey, why would we do that?” And my wife said, “Because before they go to heaven, I want them to know what a great Christmas is like and I want them to know what a great birthday is like and let them know that they were loved well before they get to heaven and realize that love. I want them to know that they were loved here on earth and celebrate them here.”

That’s the kind of wife I’m married to. These are the kinds of songs that come out of those stories. It’s a special song and I’m grateful for all the people who’ve walked through loving unconditionally. I hope the song means as much to folks as it does to me.