Thinking Out Loud, Volume DXXXII

Last week, my good friend, Kelly Jaubert, challenged me on Facebook to post a picture of my spouse and me for seven consecutive days.  Today is the seventh day, so I decided to tell you a little about us and our family, while tying it in with the seven day challenge, and this will serve as my weekly blog.  I have been so richly blessed in so many ways, although we've faced some rough spots along the way, just like everyone else.  In my younger days I looked ahead and tried to picture who I would marry, and what kind of kids we would have.  I had a plan for our lives, and I actually saw parts of it come to fruition, but I have now come to the conclusion that there was a divine plan that far superseded any plans I had made.  In a way, though, I feel like King David, who wanted to build a temple, but that honor was reserved for his son.  I believe God's plan for Angie & me involved our kids in a more direct way, while we may have helped set the foundation, primarily by the way we raised our children. No doubt this plan will still be in play after Angie and I are no longer in the picture.

Everything was going according to plan....MY plan.  I was able to find someone who would love me and wanted to spend her life with me, and she was, and still is, beautiful.  Then my plan called for kids; two of them.  One boy and one girl.  They were both supposed to be good looking and incredibly smart.  Yep, it happened just like that.  Well, naturally there would be grandchildren, and my first requirement was that my son would have another son so it would give us one more step in carrying on the family name.  BOOM!  Here came that little sandy haired boy, who was good looking and incredibly smart....and he was a BOY!  Then God stepped in and said, "Okay, I've given you your heart's desire up to this point, but now it's time for ME to take over and show you what MY plan looks like.  Ladies and gentlemen, I never dreamed that our family would see what would start happening after that.  It's a good thing God didn't reveal his plan to us, because we would have rejected it right from the start, because there were some things we just didn't understand, and sometimes at first glance, God's plan looks more like a curse, though today I have to say thank you Lord for choosing us for this plan.

The next grandchild was a girl.  They let us see her briefly, then took her straight to NICU.  Moments later, we received word that she had all the signs of a child with Down Syndrome. We went from "deer in the headlights" to total denial, to finding a love like we never knew existed.  She has changed us and the way we view life.  There were challenges, like open heart surgery at five weeks old, but there's no way to describe the joy she brings us.  I am so proud of my son and daughter in law for accepting and embracing God's plan the way they have.  They have become very active in the Down Syndrome community, which has some notable people as members.  As you may know, Sarah Palin is a part of that community, and when she and Lennon finally got to meet, Sarah had her picture made with her and posted it on her Facebook page.

Those are my son's kids, but my daughter was certainly not left out of God's plan, and again, if I had known in advance, my first inclination would've been negative. God chose my daughter and son in law to be foster parents, and currently they have two girls and a boy, ranging in age from seven months to three years.  My first question was, "Can I love a foster child like a child born into my family?"  Well, the answer to that question is a resounding "YES!"  Will we have to see them go back to their birth families some day?  Probably. Will it hurt?  You'd better believe it!  But, you see, this is God's plan for our family, and we've learned if we just TRUST HIM, things will work out better than we ever imagined.

Angie and I are now in our sixties, and  we've been married for forty-four years, yet we are embracing life like newly weds. Yes, we know we don't have as long left on this earth as we once did, but even for that, God has a plan, and it's wonderful.  Thank you, Kelly, for nominating me for this challenge.  I don't normally do things like this, but I have to admit, I have really enjoyed it.

Preston