God Bless Gram

Well, I think we have weathered the worst of the storm or at least the tidal wave that swept thru our house. 2 girls on antibiotics, 1 lil boy completed his antibiotics, one mommy taking the last of her antibiotic z pack. Gram has left. We are on our own. Made it thru the evening with only 1 hitch. Poor A is having such a rough time. I think she has no coping skills in dealing with stress and our house is slightly stressful. Who would have thought that our perfectly behaved child would make such a drastic turn. I guess I should say, welcome to the world of foster care. She did get to go see her mommy & daddy by herself today for a couple of hours. I had hoped that would help her. The only bad thing was when she walked into the house toting all kinds of new loot, the other kids felt really left out.
KK is so darn eager to please. She works so hard at her school work and is so pleased that she has earned a smiley face on her behavior chart every day. She came home with a packet to fill out for Star student of the week next week. A little thing to the ordinary, but so heartbreaking to me. You have to fill out your family information and your pet, etc.. I am crushed as she decides to use us as her family. Crushed because I know her stay with us is only for a little while. I wish she wasn't star student next week, but I'm sure that its bothering me more than her. She & Camille had a fabulous time filling out the information. I will try not to be a control freak and have them redo it so that it looks cuter.
On the way home from taking A to supervised visit, I pass a young woman holding a baby, dog on a leash, and a cardboard sign with Need Help. I have seen homeless people with signs before but never a young woman, and certainly not one with a baby. I am so perplexed by this. I did not stop. I knew I had no more room in the inn, but I can't help but think about them and the circumstances that led them to the place they are. I am so thankful for my home and my family. An extra big thanks to Gram for saving us last week when we were struggling with being sick, adjusting to 2 new people in our house, and just all in all needing the blessing of her presence in our house.
I escaped from the house on Sunday night to go to home group. Todd slipped away to do some work on his computer that he has been battling with all weekend over some virus. I drove out of the driveway and it hit me that I was all alone. Wow, that hadn't happened in almost a week. Tears trickled down my face as the stress of the week somehow caught up with me. It was a cleansing cry, a relief that I knew we were going to be okay. Considered staying in my van and having alone time but really love my home group so I made it in. I'm thankful for the prayers and support they offered up for me. I know that it is because of their prayers, I have regained some strength and know that I can love these children and all their issues for as long as they are here. Thank you God for my church family.