We really had no idea what to do. We were all ready to adopt from Ethiopia, but felt God was holding us back. We started to pray about pursuing foster care and foster/adopt programs, but got no answer. Desperately wanting more children, but never wanting to run ahead of the Father, we waited. For some kind of sign, for something.
We got our sign. Seven times. Five home pregnancy tests, one blood test, and a sonogram confirmed what we could not believe. God has placed a life in my womb.
An aerial view of this year's maze
Something comes to you, an idea, a plan, a new venture. You head down the path and can sense God is in this thing, He is moving. You have your destination in mind and you are forging ahead with your eye on the prize. As you go, you hit obstacles, unexpected bumps in the road that force you to change and grow. With your heart set on the things ahead, you yield to the process and find God is breaking down walls in your heart. He is using this path to change you in ways you had not expected.
Then suddenly you reach a fork in your road. You can bear left pressing on toward your original goal, or now you can bear right toward another destination. Another destination that you had considered before, but dismissed quickly, as not for you, for so many reasons. But standing there at the fork, you realize your time on this path has changed you, and each of the objections you had to this new destination have worn away as you toiled on the path. You would not have started down this road with the new destination in mind, but now that you are at the fork, you see that you needed to head down this road to get to either destination. You needed to be changed in order to be prepared to arrive at the new destination. And so there you stand. Staring at the fork. Your heart clinging to all the reasons you started on the path, but amazed by the excitement stirring in your belly at the new venture just steps away. Was this His plan all along, or is this just a distraction? God will guide you, you are sure of that, but waiting for Him at this crossroads isn’t easy.
Waiting for Him at this crossroads isn’t easy.
My grandma grew up on a farm in southern Maryland and she when she married my Grandpa, an Irish immigrant with his feet firmly planted in Baltimore city, she missed getting her hands dirty. They lived in a tiny house in the city, but grandpa made sure their yard was big enough for quite a spectacular garden. I have the best memories of driving to her little farm in the city, and spending hours playing amongst the veggies, digging up worms, or coloring under the grape arbors. The tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, she grew everything, but my absolute favorite were her grapes. The most magnificent grapes I have ever tasted in my life. Recently, I discovered a local vineyard that has one wine that tastes just like those grapes. One sip and I am right back there.
So here are a few photos from my garden.
I also did head lettuce, yellow bell peppers, onions, carrots, spinach , broccoli, eggplant, a bunch of herbs and started a blueberry bush.
Cabbage worms ate my broccoli and I didn’t pick the spinach in time, but we have enjoyed carrots, strawberries and lettuce, and zucchini is on tonight’s menu.
Here’s a look at the perfect little garden my amazing husband gave up a lot of blood, sweat, tears and Saturdays to build me...
Isn’t he just the best?
