Note: I never sent this in Amsterdam...no connection...so we just got to Uganda and met our babies, but I will post on that later. :)
For those of us who have been in the adoption world for any
length of time know that when we say our bios, we mean our biological children.
I can’t call them my “real” children because I feel like my new kids are just
as “real.” I can’t call them the Grassmick children because, at least in my
mind, the new ones are Grassmicks too. God gives us our families, not the
government, and they are ours so they are Grassmicks. I could call them by
color, but I’m not going to. So anyway, this post is about our bios: Emma,
Johnny, Annie, and Anderson. And as the way of posts go, this one has to be
short and sweet because we are about to board our plane in Amsterdam to Uganda.
And I want to be sure to do this before I meet our new ones.
Leading up to our trip we could tell it was going to be hard
on our bios. One of them was just acting up a bit more and being a little sassy
and having bad dreams. One of them was sure that Mommy and Daddy died the other
evening when at a babysitter for our last date for a while. The other two have
just been right by my side for lots of our days lately. They keep telling us
that they wish they could come, when a month and more ago, they were ecstatic
about staying with grandparents and having us go. It was hitting them as we got
closer. So, we held them more and talked to them about how they felt. They
never turned on Elsie and Ki, at least not verbally. They were just sad that to
get these babies, Mommy and Daddy have to be away for so long. One bio keep
saying, “Wouldn’t it be great if it just took one day!?” I told them all that
if they study hard and learn well, then maybe one day that could influence how
adoptions are done. That’s how we do our best work as humans...when we have
been affected by something. Deeply affected.
Each of the kids lately have told me how many biological
kids they want to have and how many children they want to adopt. Anderson has
the most ambition at 2 bios and 10 adopted. J
Sometimes I feel like I wish we could do more. Adopting 2 kids out of
147,000,000 orphans just doesn’t seem like enough. But then I realized how it
opens the doors of hearts of those around and our 2 is hopefully going to be
multiplied.
We said goodbye to our bios at the Albuquerque Airport this
morning or yesterday or when ever it was. One was super quiet. One cried from
the deep. One just held on tight. And the last one had too much energy to
notice really...guess which one. J
It has been an interesting couple of months. We saw Elsie
and Ki’s picture mid-July. Since then we have known they are ours too. We are a
family of eight. Even our bios say that now. Someone shared the verse with us
yesterday about the Good Shepherd leaving His flock to go off and find the one
sheep that was lost. The Shepherd knows He is leaving His herd in safety within
the flock. They will stick together. The flock knows He will be back. We take
comfort in this. We are leaving our flock. There is a sadness about this. But
there is an overwhelming excitement about bringing in the two that are missing,
that are lost. I’m very aware that the journey will be tougher once we have the
lost sheep and want to bring everyone together.
I can’t wait for our four bios to love on these two little
lost sheep. They are going to love them well because they have been loved so
well by so many.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. We are
overwhelmed that we get to be the ones reaping here. So many have sowed very
deeply into us and now we get to walk into the blessing. We love you all.
Beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteOk, so I just read your status update that you have elsie and ki and cried. And now, this? I'm in even more tears! Love you guys sooo much. Love all 6 Grassmick kids too. KNOW all 6 are being lifted up to our Maker with loving and caring hearts.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have to call ours the bios. Actually, I thought you meant the bio parents! It took me a second to get it. With us it was 'the boys' and 'the girls' and now with Gray we still just say 'the big boys' when we talk in categories. :-)
ReplyDeleteWe love pointing out folks to our boys and saying, "those people helped us bring you home!" Often, after we've stopped and visited with someone that the kids don't know, the first question after "Who was that?" that they ask is, "Did they help us come home?" So often we can tell them "YES!" It's true, so many sowers and we are so fortunate to be hauling in this harvest to our own stores! But let's pray that, as you say, these are just seeds that, when planted in our families, will multiply.
No matter what, even though 147million is a big number and, yes, two is just a drop in that bucket, for these two, you just saved their entire world! Praise God!
Your older kids will remember this well. Most kids don't have to be so sacrificial in order to welcome a new sibling! The harder part for them may be in sharing you right away after your long absence. I'm sure the Grandma's will prepare them as much as they can. I know my mom was invaluable to us in those first 6-8weeks of chaos! Thankfully, the jet lag may help give you and your 'bios' little moments of alone time, too.
We're praying that God will minister to Emma, Johnny, Annie, and Anderson in a special way while you're gone and prepare them for your return with Elsie and Ki. We love you!
ReplyDeleteHello. I don't know you all personally, but I am friend with Kerri Couillard. She shared your blog. I have other friends who have adopted from Ethiopia and know that there is a family support group in Santa Fe. I have asked my friend Susan to get in touch with you. I was also thinking about the mother's plight. I don't mean to be stepping in where I shouldn't, but would you be willing to ask her to write a letter to her kids so that when they are older you can share it with them? It might make her feel as though she would not be forgotten, and would be something for the kids to treasure. Just a thought. Congratulations on your beautiful new babies! I hope all continues to go smoothly at the beginning of this adventure.
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