Last Week

This last week has been one of the hardest that I've ever had. It has left my heart full of ache and left me more physically tired than I've been in months. And, that's saying something.

I've been back and forth in my mind about whether or not I'd blog about this. It's something personal to us, something we've done not for anyone to see or know about, but because we felt called to serve. And, yet, someday I hope that our children will read this. I hope that they will remember and maybe be better able to understand the what and why of the week we've just had.

So, to begin, I have to back up. It all started many months ago. I was sitting in a PTO meeting and we were talking about some needs at our school. The topic came up about how many kids in our school simply do not have enough to eat. This wasn't something I didn't know. I knew this. But, in that moment, it just hit home to me. Kids go hungry. Kids that I know. My kids friends. And, I knew that I needed to do something -- even just for one family.

Matt and talked and then I followed it up by talking to the principal at M's school. The idea was for us to take a meal to a family at her school each week and develop a relationship with them and mentor them. This process eventually led us to getting to know the L family -- a single mom with 4 kids under 8.

Over the past few months, we've taken them dinner one night each week. We've played with them and had some of them over to play at our house. I've done my best to listen to the mom and mentor her -- just giving suggestions of how to get homework done, establish a routine, etc. It's certainly been slow going. I've learned a lot about how the government works in helping families, and learned that she does not exactly move at my pace. We live in 2 completely different worlds that are only mere miles apart.

Tuesday night we went to take dinner over there as usual. I arrived to find her sick and on the couch. The little ones were running the place and the older 2 were just coming off the bus from school. I pick up a bit, checked on her and got dinner settled. I left there and called Matt, asking him to come home as quickly as he could so I could go back over and help her get the kids bathed and in bed since she was ill. As soon as Matt got home, I headed back.

When I got over there, I started to clean up and wash dishes. I discovered that there wasn't any hot water and she told me that their gas had been turned off. The apartment was quickly getting colder as night set in and the first grader already had a terrible cold.

So, I offered to take the oldest 2 (that are in school) home with me. I didn't have room in the car to take any more that night. She could take care of the baby and I told her I'd be back in the morning to get the 3 year old for the day. So, after more cleaning and picking up and vaccuming, I left with A and V in tow. We got home and got them fed, bathed and homework done. Then we managed to get all 5 kids in bed for the night.

Matt and I talked that night about what to do and we decided to offer to keep them the rest of the week while I tried to get their gas turned back on. I offered the next morning when I went to pick up T and was quickly taken up on my offer. I spent the day getting the 3-year old, T, bathed and cleaned up before taking her back home.

I had to go by the school to get the paperwork filed so that I could pick the kids up. While I was there I talked to the counselor about the situation -- she refered me to their social worker. I called her and she stared to work on getting their gas/heat turned back on. When I picked the kids up from school that day and told them that I was going to be keeping them for the rest of the week -- well, you would have thought it was Christmas morning. Excited doesn't  beging to describe it.

They thrived in our home last week. They never once complained about doing homework or studying for tests. They went to bed quickly. They loved sitting down to dinner with us around our (very full) table. Thursday night, V asked Matt just before dinner "You mean we get to do this again?" Matt asked her what she meant and her reply was "We get to sit down and eat dinner and tell about our day?" Something we take forgranted as routine was pretty special to them.

They are sweet, sweet children and we truly loved having them here. However, it was 5 children under 8 in our home. I spent an hour each night just doing baths while Matt rotated them through homework. I washed loads of towels and clothes each day. It was a busy week.

Friday came and after picking them up from school it was time to take them home. When I had dropped them off at school that morning, I found V standing in the hall outside her class, tears running down her face. She told me that she didn't want to leave. That just about broke my heart.

Their mom was very excited to see them and their gas had been turned back on. It was hard to leave them knowing that we were heading to dinner and back to our nice cozy home. Last week was one that changed me. I have always been thankful that we have a nice, safe place to live and food to eat. But, after last week, I have felt a gratitude that I've never before known.

Because, my life could have been different. I am thankful for parents that valued and encouraged education -- something that can never be taken from me. I am thankful that they instilled the drive to work hard in my. I am thankful for my mom that modeled for me the importance of keeping a clean home and having good, nutritious meals on the table. I am thankful that I had a good, solid male role model in my life in my dad. His example lead me to know exactly what I was looking for in a husband. I am thankful that I found all of that, and more, in my Matt. I am thankful that he works hard and supports us in a manner that I can stay home with our kids. I am thankful that we have more than enough to eat. We have more than a nice, warm home -- we have a very nice, warm home.

This year I am seeing my blessings through new eyes. And, more than anything, I am thankful that I am and always have been surrounded not only by people that love me, but more importantly by those that love Him.