A chapter in our lives ended today, but before I get into that, I want to share a quote I have shared before. A quote I heard from our pastor and it has stuck with me and probably will for the rest of my life. He said, “anything worth doing is going to require an element of sacrifice”. We found this to be so very true the last two months of our lives.
Today our friends packed up and moved, at first I was giddy at the thought of having our space back. Then as the time approached and got nearer and nearer, my heart got heavier and heavier. These strangers have become like family to us. Our kids have become best friends, Maddie even told me that David, one of the older boys is one of her best friends and she’s going to miss him so much. I’m not going to lie, there where parts that where hard and other parts that where very hard. It was hard to keep laundry up, for both families. Our toys and books were well loved and well used, sometimes finding their way to the garbage. There were times Mark and I wanted to watch “our” movies and there were times Erez and Leanne wanted and needed time to talk, think, be together without nine kids under tow. While these earthly tasks do need to be done and we need to try and stay on top of laundry, floors, be good steward of toys, etc. People are always more important than our tasks or things. For two months we got to experience community like we have never experienced in our whole lives.
It was truly God who put our two families together. Right from the start we hit it off, right from the start we connected. Our friends were able to experience love, they were able to experience healing in the safety of friends who loved them, scars and all. I over heard Leanne talking to Erez while watching their boys play and she said in reference to one of their boys, he’s finally got his sparkle back in his eyes. Watching these boys heal and feel safe was without a doubt worth all the laundry that piled up. It was way worth the dirty floors and broken toys. It was very well worth it and if you asked me again, I would do it again in a heart beat!
We raced home after dance today in a rush to give last minute good bye hugs, because my kids finally realized that our friends were leaving and would not be coming back to live in the basement. Thankfully we made it before they left, Maddie would have been crushed if we had missed them. After hugs were given once and then twice, the kids and I went into the house to get jammies on and I began to cry because I saw dress up clothes on our kids Thomas table, dress up clothes the boys almost lived in. I cried at our cluttered, some what disorganized office, and the Lego’s lying on the floor. Because, I knew our favorite boys would not be back soon to play with them. Our house is quiet and peaceful, but honestly I think I prefer the business, sibling rivalry, and playful comeradery. As Maddie was walking around the house she kept telling me all the things they couldn’t play anymore, because the Talshahar boys made up most of the characters and it wouldn’t be the same with out them. All nine kids had bonded over books and had become the characters and began going on adventures as the characters.
Space is nice, but friendship is so much better! I am sure I will cry off and on for several days as I find times, places, and things
that remind me of each one of our friends. At nights sometimes we would do devotions all together, one night Mark and I decided to do it separate from the Talshahar’s and Maddie said, “but mommy how will we know what day it is”? We have been counting the Omar with them, we had been learning the Passover, and honestly I am a little overwhelmed at trying to do the feasts and holidays without them. I find myself asking myself as Maddie did, but how will we know what day it is?
We send our friends off with all our love and prayers, knowing they are in the most capable hands of all, that of the Abba and there is no one better to take care of them! He is more than able and way more than capable!