The burden of an ugly pile of sticks.

In the center of our yard was a big, dry, mess of sticks, twisting tightly up and around a rusting archway.  We turned our heads to the side, and decided that once Maya is home, perhaps we might do something about this twisted mess, but in the meantime, no time.

You see, when you have a little 15 month old, and are working on an international adoption, and many of those close to you are celebrating wonderful life events each month, there is hardly anytime for yard work, despite my desire for there to be–which is interesting.

Each and every step of the way through the pursuit of adopting Maya has been equal amounts of two distinct features.  1. Fear, followed by 2. Blessing.  God is clear on how to handle fear, which can often times be the opposite of how our flighty hearts want to handle the emotion.

But, while some people may have been put out by the extra amount of time and energy it takes to complete an adoption, to stay invested in people’s lives, while wanting to close in one themselves, build up and become entwined within our home and how we want it to look…

Busyness, God are you sure?  Is this really the plan?  As it turns out, even our busyness was a blessing.

Because guess what.

Nothing has been more ugly than that pile of sticks strangling a teetering trellis, and if I’d been given even just a full weekend day without the pull of bringing our daughter home, or a sweet friend’s wedding or baby shower, it would have been gone.

What a pity that would have been.  With only a few months time, the sticks went from burden to this.

Wisteria.  We had no idea.  We couldn’t see past the burden, the ugly.

 Thank you God for your blessings along the way.

In other parts of our yard.  We have maintained the same amount of yard work standard.  None.

 And we are loving it.  Finley’s toe nails are hardly ever clean, and  his toy of choice are sticks.

All our clothes are hand-me-downs thanks to wonderful friends, which is a huge blessing when having a boy.  I wonder if I would be more likely to limit his adventure and play if I was invested financially in his clothes?  Maybe.

I love my little boy.

“Who’s that comin’ to see me?”

Too cute not to scoop up, as we always say!

“Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Psalm 16:5-8