Celebration & Settling In

July 5, 2011

Today is a day to celebrate because my second nephew, Calvin James, has entered the world. I am waiting for his older brother to wake up so that we can go in and see the new baby. Jack has been lots of fun to hang out with over the last few months that I have been back in Lancaster. Whether it is pushing him in a stroller for 3 miles while I jogged up in the mountains, splashing each other with water, watering the garden, or just receiving hugs, I love being a part of his life. It is nice to be an aunt who is close by.

In other areas of life, I have been settling in to more of a routine here in Lancaster. I am enjoying life in the city and the 1.2 mile walk to and from work most days. This week I actually have off because Mom's House closes twice over the summer months so I guess I will have to look for some other exercise on the days when I do not play basketball (of course hanging out with Jack might suffice depending what we do). I have been at Mom's House for one month now and for the most part things have gone well. I have begun to do interviews with potential parents to help fill some of the open positions in the children's rooms. The other week I was able to do an interview in Spanish which was quite fun. I hope to use Spanish on a more regular basis at work. I still have lots of orientation videos to watch and files to go through but little by little I am finding my way through the various facets of my job. Next week I begin a Food Safety Course to give me more preparation for being in charge of the kitchen.

I have continued to meet the moms who are in the program and try to begin getting to know them. I have been impressed with the dedication of many and the desire they have to move forward. Sometimes I have a pre-conceived idea of who they are or where they have come from but justlast week the Lord reminded me that I cannot judge. I do not know the stories and even if and when I do, God is the judge and I am not. I am called to love the people who I come in contact with and point them to Jesus. More often than not, my pre-conceived ideas are wrong and the stories that I encounter hold pain and tears. Thankfully God is in the business of mending hearts and lives!