Day Twenty-Four
Wednesday, December 20
Psalm 113
“He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children.”
Psalm 113:9
Psalm 113:9
To experience the highs that joy can bring I think you must also know and experience sorrow.
2009 began a rough year for my husband Marcos and I. It started in September when I received a diagnosis of uterine cancer. We barely had time to process that before we were seeking second opinions, meeting with oncologists and figuring out how this fit with our dreams for a family. 3 days after my diagnosis my brother’s father in law was murdered. We were reeling from these traumas, yet through it all I clung to the desire and promise that God had given me that I would be a mom.
Fast forward a few months. I was recovering from surgery and ready to go back to work. Marcos and I had been figuring out the path God wanted us to take to grow our family. My first week back at work I was in a car accident on the way to work. “Really?" I said to God. Marcos stepped outside one day to investigate a crackling noise and narrowly missed half of a giant tree falling on him. What was happening? Why were we experiencing so many things in our lives?
During this time we felt God calling us to be foster parents. We were praying constantly and God confirmed this desire. We had prepared our house for our first visit with a worker from Olive Crest. The night before the visit we heard screaming coming from the back of our condo complex. One of the units connected to ours was fully engulfed in flames. While our unit was mostly spared, when our social worker arrived, there was major evidence of what had occurred. Our carpets were covered in ashy footprints from the firemen that had gone through our unit. As we were interviewed that day the social worker told us how struck she was by our ability to respond and react to major traumatic events. That's what helped us realize the journey we were on was being used by God as a way to prepare us for the challenges ahead.
The challenges were far from over. We had many more before we became certified that June. Our first foster placement was a roller coaster ride. Our church family at the time surrounded us, supported us, and was with us on the journey. God grew our skills that year. We learned how to navigate so many systems, how to advocate for kids, and how to love kids we would say goodbye to. We learned that all kids are God’s. They are all gifts from Him. He numbers their days with us and we needed to see each day as the gift it was.
It wasn’t until 2012 that we met the three kids we would call our own. We used to say that 2009 was the most challenging of our lives. Since then we have had some rougher years. God has been through it all with us. I have learned when we cling to the promises of God, we have to remind ourselves that the journey we take is part of His story and it's not just about the destination. Parenting, as with many things in life, comes with moments of sorrow as well as joy. We need to be thankful to God in all of it.
2009 began a rough year for my husband Marcos and I. It started in September when I received a diagnosis of uterine cancer. We barely had time to process that before we were seeking second opinions, meeting with oncologists and figuring out how this fit with our dreams for a family. 3 days after my diagnosis my brother’s father in law was murdered. We were reeling from these traumas, yet through it all I clung to the desire and promise that God had given me that I would be a mom.
Fast forward a few months. I was recovering from surgery and ready to go back to work. Marcos and I had been figuring out the path God wanted us to take to grow our family. My first week back at work I was in a car accident on the way to work. “Really?" I said to God. Marcos stepped outside one day to investigate a crackling noise and narrowly missed half of a giant tree falling on him. What was happening? Why were we experiencing so many things in our lives?
During this time we felt God calling us to be foster parents. We were praying constantly and God confirmed this desire. We had prepared our house for our first visit with a worker from Olive Crest. The night before the visit we heard screaming coming from the back of our condo complex. One of the units connected to ours was fully engulfed in flames. While our unit was mostly spared, when our social worker arrived, there was major evidence of what had occurred. Our carpets were covered in ashy footprints from the firemen that had gone through our unit. As we were interviewed that day the social worker told us how struck she was by our ability to respond and react to major traumatic events. That's what helped us realize the journey we were on was being used by God as a way to prepare us for the challenges ahead.
The challenges were far from over. We had many more before we became certified that June. Our first foster placement was a roller coaster ride. Our church family at the time surrounded us, supported us, and was with us on the journey. God grew our skills that year. We learned how to navigate so many systems, how to advocate for kids, and how to love kids we would say goodbye to. We learned that all kids are God’s. They are all gifts from Him. He numbers their days with us and we needed to see each day as the gift it was.
It wasn’t until 2012 that we met the three kids we would call our own. We used to say that 2009 was the most challenging of our lives. Since then we have had some rougher years. God has been through it all with us. I have learned when we cling to the promises of God, we have to remind ourselves that the journey we take is part of His story and it's not just about the destination. Parenting, as with many things in life, comes with moments of sorrow as well as joy. We need to be thankful to God in all of it.
Bridget Andrade is a first grade teacher that lives with her family in Bellflower.