The Ties That Bind

Ten years ago this May I moved 1200 miles from everything I knew and started a new life.

I was a 17 year old girl with a serious meth habit trying to pick up my broken life. I had been in bad relationships, broken my parents trust, and let my entire family down. I'm sure it came as a surprise when this good student from an upperclass family had her secret life revealed.

Moving to Georgia was something I saw as temporary when I first came. Something to get my parents off my back for the Summer so I could come back to Minnesota and finish out my Senior Year with the kids I had spent the last 12 years in school with.

That Summer is the Summer that God finally got my attention and I surrendered to Him. I finally figured out my way wasn't working.

I met Andrew that Summer, and the rest is history.

When I think back to the day I made the decision to stay in Georgia for my Senior Year I never imagined that would turn into me living here forever. Don't get me wrong, I am completely in love with every aspect of my life.

Well, almost.

There is one thing I desperatly wish I could change.

I wish my family lived here too.

Most of the year I am able to block out the distance. Phone calls and email have made it easy for us to talk whenever we want and that seems to numb the lonesome feelings.

But coming home from two weeks surrounded by them has made me realize how much I wish I could be close to them.

My Dad only lives 4 hours away, but I'm awful about driving down to see them. Seriously, I only went once last year. My goal this year is to schedule when we will go and then for sure go. Once I get my car back that is.

Anyways, while I was sitting here trying to come up with a mid point between Florida, Arizona, Georgia, and Minnesota that we could all relocate to, God pointed out to me how lucky I am.

Lucky that, not only does Josie have amazing Grandparents that love every inch of her, but she has Great Grandparents that love her just as much (if not a wee bit more!)

Lucky that I can have images like this in my head:

On my side, Josie is able to spend quality time with all of her Great Grandparents.

And, boy oh boy, does she love them like crazy.

Andrew and I were talking about whether or not Josie understood who they are to her. I'm not sure if she does or not, but I do know that they are five of her favorite people.

There is something inside her that seems to bind her heart to theirs. And I think it's amazing.

I hope Josie remembers these times she has with her Great Grandparents and always remembers the things she learns from them.

I pray she is able to comprehend the amount of love these people have for her. I look over her case file from before she came home to us and realize that she came pretty darn close to having nobody love her.

But instead, everywhere she turns she is loved. Unconditionally.

I love seeing her face light up when she spends time with my grandparents. And I really love watching their faces light up when she's around.

In this Fast Food, Microwave Generation that she is going to grow up in, they can teach her of a more simple time. Times when you reaped what you sowed, that pateince is a virtue, and that often times, less is more.

So until I get down to Florida, over to Arizona, or up to Minnesota for another family fix I'll be recalling these past couple weeks and smile that I even have a family to visit.