Musing of a happy lady...

Psalm 37:4  Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  


Once upon a time, long, long ago - maybe as long as 46 years ago, a girl about 12 years old, who  loved animals and little children, dreamed of someday having a large family.  But the schools and society were teaching that young girl all about "zero population growth", something that God and the Bible never talked about, but a wicked society that did not value children did.
The young girl thought she saw the wisdom of not having more children than it took to replace yourself - a wicked society can brainwash young girls - but at the same time, she still dreamed of that large family.
One Sunday afternoon, she picked up the newspaper laying on the living room couch, and read an article about a large family.  They had TWELVE children.  This family was so large, they had two washing machines.  They had a big table, a big house, a big yard.  And this family was made up of both biological children and adopted children.

"That's it!"  the young girl thought.  "I could have a large family this way!  I could have twelve children!  I could have my two biological children, and then I could adopt!"  The young girl smiled...

The young girl grew up and married.  She and her husband had the two children they could responsibly have, according to the "zero population growth" philosophy.    But her heart still longed for more children...

...so she began to do foster care.  There was one hitch.  Back in this long ago time, foster parents were not allowed to adopt, and adoptive parents were not allowed to foster.  Still, the young girl, now a young mother, filled her house with children - more than 50, as time went on.  She and her husband were one of the first emergency foster homes in a new program in Oklahoma.  The young mother loved doing foster care, and all was good - until a newborn baby boy entered her home...

...and she fell in love...

...and when he was released for adoption, the state took the young baby, now seven months old, from the young mothers arms, and gave him to an adoptive family who had been on the waiting list for years.  "You can always have more children."  The social worker told the young mother.  "These people can't have babies."

The young mother grieved the little boy who left and her empty arms ached for another child.  And soon, that grief led her to throw that zero population growth teaching out the window, because God never intended for that to be the way things are.  God puts the longing for children in the heart of a young girl, now a young mother.

And soon, that young mother had another baby.  God gave her a son to take the place of the one she loved, and lost.  Doesn't the Bible say in Psalms 126 that those that sow with tears will reap with songs of joy?

And then, there was a surprise baby, another son.

Then the young mother moved back to Texas, letting her foster license go in the process and met a group of homeschooling mothers who taught her that God actually WANTS families to have children, and not only wants them too, but calls them gifts and rewards.

And so the young mother and her husband let God plan their family and before long were blessed with two more sons...

and a beautiful baby girl!

The Lord was good to this young mother and father, who were not so young anymore.  They were blessed with seven children, and they were content.

The children began to grow up, and the oldest daughter followed in the footsteps of the young mother who was not young anymore, and she became a foster mother.  Many children went in and out of her house too, and the now older mother loved listening to the stories of her oldest daughter, and helping out with the foster children.

And then, two young children, a sister and a brother, moved into the oldest daughters foster home...

...and the older mom fell in love with them...

...and when a date was set to terminate the birth mothers rights to these two children, the now older mom and her husband sought out their foster license again, because NOW, foster parents could adopt their foster children.

What the now older mother did not know was the birth mother of these two children was pregnant again, and when they found out, the baby, a boy, was born three weeks later.

The older mom and her husband told the social workers they would adopt all three.  But the new baby gave the birth mother more time, and her boyfriend, who thought he was the new baby's father, helped her.  A lot.

And she finished all the things required of her, and the state was going to give the children back, until the boyfriend learned the baby boy was not his.

And birthmom  relinquished her baby, and took the older two children home.

And the now older mom adopted the baby boy.  And since she had her foster/adopt license again, she began to foster more children.  A newborn baby girl came into her home for a while, then went back to her mother.  Two more girls came, another baby girl, and a two year old girl.  After twenty months, the baby girl went back to her family, and the two year old girl, who was now four, was adopted by the older mom and dad.

Then a baby brother to the adopted daughter came along, and they adopted him, too.

And time went on.  One day, the now older mom got a phone call.  That long ago first two children, the sister and brother of the now older mom's first adopted child, were back in foster care and legally free for adoption.  And there was a new child, a little sister, too  Were the now older mom and dad interested?

Oh, yes!  Quickly, they began the process to get relicensed for adoption, since their home had been closed with the adoption of their last child. 

Problems arose, and the brother of this sibling group could not be adopted with girls, but the now older mom and dad continued to work towards getting the girls.  They were allowed to spend time with the girls, and they all bonded closely.  It was very exciting...

...until the now older mom and dad were approved by the agency, and their homestudy was taken to CPS, and someone there decided that the now older mom and dad's strictly religious lifestyle might not be good for the older sister, who insisted she was fine with it.  But the brakes were put on, and the now older mom and dad were not allowed to adopt the sisters.  Instead, they were moved out of the foster home they were in, and placed with a new family...

...who were very nice, and along with the encouragement of CPS and the adoption agency, allowed the now older mom and dad to spend much time with the girls still, under the name of "sibling visits".  The now older mom and dad were glad to do that.  They loved the girls. 

The now older mom cried a lot when she had to take the girls back.  She spent much time considering that maybe she should let go and not see the girls anymore, because it was too hard on them all, the older mom and dad, the two sisters, and the children who still lived in the older mom and dads home.  But still, there was a small still voice that encouraged her to continue...

And six or seven months later, the reason for that small still voice became clear...

The foster family, for various reasons, mostly health-wise, would not be adopting the sisters...

...and the now older mom and dad were asked if they were still interested...

...and they answered, Oh, yes!!

...and they went through some of the stressful process of getting licensed once again, and this time, everyone knew it was a good thing...

...and today, those two sisters moved in with the now older mom and dad, and their seven biological children, and their three adopted children, one of whom is their brother...

...and seven...and three...and two...

...makes twelve.  Twelve children.  The dream of a young girl 46 years ago was fulfilled today...