This is my next home decor project. Wish me luck!
I love my kids. They’re sweet, funny and just a enough off-center that I often wonder if they were switched at birth. If they didn’t resemble me a little and love to write, I’d have serious doubts. Even so, they make me proud. And yet, when one of my friends regales me with new grandma stories, I’m envious.
When I comment to one of my aforementioned friends that I doubt I’ll ever be a grandmother, they tell me things will change. The truth is, I know many people who have made a conscious choice to not have children, and my kids just might fall into this category. I could push my grandmotherly rights…but what would be the point?
And yet, while I might bemoan my situation, my husband, who would have made the world’s greatest dad, has had to settle for two nearly-adult step-children as they were seventeen and nineteen when we got together. You won’t hear him complain, though, and you’d never know they weren’t his kids. But still, he’s held out hope that they might one day make him a grandfather.
So, we did the only thing we could. We “adopted” a young lady. Rana started working for Chris a couple years ago, and I noticed something special about her from the first time we met—it was more than her sweet nature. It was an openness and need for connection. And while I miss my daughter who lives several states away, Rana misses a mom. It was a relationship only God could have designed.
Chris and I started having Rana to the house on a regular basis, and she’d hang out with me when Chris went hunting. When she got engaged, we included her fiancé. We shared their excitement over wedding plans, mentored them in the basics of a strong Christian marriage and celebrated with them when Rana became pregnant.
The truth is, there are many young people out in the world in need of an older couple to invest in them. The saying, “It takes a village to raise a child” has never been truer than now. Whether you’re childless or just an empty-nester (like we are) what better way to share the love of God? He calls us to pour into the lives of others, and brings us the opportunity to do just that.
So, over the next couple months, we prepare for the baby’s birth while also preparing to celebrate Christmas. I’ll get into nesting mode along with the soon-to-be momma. She’s always wanted to bake Christmas cookies and make ornaments, and I’m right there with her. But first, Rana’s asked me to decorate the baby’s room, and the above picture is our goal. I’ll post the after pictures in a couple weeks, and hopefully, they’ll match Rana’s expectations!
