Almost every morning, hubby and I awaken before any of the children. We get our cups of coffee and sit on the front porch to read our Bibles and talk a bit.
Those talks inevitably meander toward The Philippines.
We breathe in the scent of our blooming Magnolia tree and say "we're going to miss this smell".
We wave at the man who, in his 80s, never misses a day walking or bike riding past our house on the quiet cul-de-sac. We met him when our large rottweiler/lab mix broke free and went after him one day. She doesn't bite but he didn't know that.
"I'm going to miss seeing that old man" I sigh. "I hope whoever buys this house appreciates the front porch."
But I can't muster any real sadness.
We're going on the adventure of a lifetime. Our children will be by our sides. We go to a place we've been before and we know we love.
We understand there will be hard times, heartache and struggles.
We have those here, too. It's life and we're just people.
Today's porch talk included our little Ezekiel (who still sleeps in our room, much to the chagrin of perfect parents and baby whisperers) so he sits with his mango-peach juice box while we drink coffee and he reminds us, just by his presence, that God gives us good gifts in the most unexpected packages.
Ezekiel reminds us that taking a big scary leap of faith can result in unsurpassed joy. He is a walking illustration that what some call "burden", others call "blessing" and we relax.
We relax because our Heavenly Father has all things under His control. The same God who pricked our hearts to adopt a child with Down Syndrome and healed another child of Reactive Attachment Disorder is the very same one who is calling us away from this front porch and to the other side of the world.
HIM, we can trust. Oh, what we would have missed if we hadn't trusted!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight".
Proverbs 3:5-6
The view from our front porch . . .
