Ruth’s SOLS: Quiet Pause.

Yesterday was a day of celebrating.  Today held a few moments of reflecting.  Our oldest daughter went home with her best friend after church.  Our youngest two played together forever outside.  The parental units worked our fingers to the bone putting back, cleaning up, rearranging, and finding our home again.

And in that time of cleaning, I found myself remembering back a year:

• Andy and Steph made pancakes the first morning they were home.  She was up early.  She didn’t talk much, but did as much as she could by herself.  Even though she had never made pancakes before, she still wanted to do it herself.  She still likes to do things herself (she’s 5), but no longer in silence.
• Hannah spent most of that day in giggles, with short bursts of sitting on our laps.
• Sam smiled and played and showed compassion.  Any toy they wanted of his he gladly shared.  He was never once jealous.
• Andy smiled that goofy grin of a man who is a new, proud daddy of daughters.
• I lived in a bubble of wanting to find our new normal, but knowing it would take time, patience, and lots of energy.  It would be a few days before I would be zapped in the energy department, but soon it would happen.

And today we are well-adjusted.  Today we are filled with love.  Today we are completely comfortable with our new normal.  Today you would never know that we’ve only been together for a year.  It is amazing what the Lord can do with a year.