Day 23: Austin, Texas.
We decorated the guest bedroom and fluffed the pillows on the sofa. And then we pondered what it a good after-school snack might be. I remembered my days of running into the house and straight to the kitchen. My mom would be waiting with a peanut butter lollipop – it was just a soup spoon with a big dollop of peanut butter, but it was like gold. I may have had the most horrible day, but in that place I felt safe.
We didn’t know who was coming to the kitchen on that day we took the photos, but we knew one thing. We knew they would feel safe there. It might take time and a lot of tears and talks, but eventually the child who would become my best friends’ family would feel their loving embrace. We knew not to expect things to happen just so – but we knew it was good to be expectant of what God could do with His care and His grace.
The photo was taken on March 10, 2013, as part of the book that would say “this is your home – and we are your family.” She came to live with them that summer. And earlier this year, we cheered in a courtroom as the judge changed her last name to theirs. There have been so many talks and lots of tears, and time is bearing out the fragile beauty of expectancy.
She’s come to the kitchen. And she’s learning that she can feel safe there too.