"Before" and "After"

I want to tell you about two wonderful people who have come into our lives and I have sat here for about 30 minutes trying to find the words. I want to make sure I am able to convey how much these two mean to our family and how our lives are better for knowing them.  You know how an event occurs and you start to define your life by "before" and "after"?  This is one of those times.

We met Heather when Jordan was a helper in her kindergarten classroom two years ago.  We only knew her peripherally then and had no idea how she would impact our lives.  We are thankful that Heather is now Angie's kindergarten teacher.  Jeff became our family caregiver in April of this year and that is when our "after" began.  We were struggling to meet the needs of our family and to fulfill all of our other responsibilities and we needed help!

These two have a heart for children and they have dedicated their lives to helping other people's children to learn and grow.  They spend their free time thinking of ways to benefit the children in their lives and I am grateful for their tireless efforts.  As I have mentioned, our children have some challenging behaviors and that is kind of an understatement.  Jeff and Heather have stood by us non-judgmentally and have worked hard to help us address the behaviors and to come up with strategies to minimize the behavior.  I am sure they sometimes go home at night and wonder what kind of crazy family they have become involved with, but they never let on to us.

Yesterday was a snow day in Clatskanie and Jeff and Heather braved the weather to come over so I could go to work.  Nothing warms a parent's heart more than seeing your child's joy in the presence of those you have trusted to care for her.  Angie is elated to spend time with Jeff and "Ms. Stafford" and I never need to worry while I am away.  That is a priceless gift.  Josh and Levi, although they require much less supervision than Angie, also look forward to spending time with Jeff and Heather and have had memorable experiences on their road trips together.

They made snow angels yesterday and I love the look of joy on Angie's face in this picture:

I have been thinking a lot about family and what it means.  The holidays, I guess.  Growing up, family always meant my parents and brother and the large extended family that lived in Astoria.  I grew up with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins close by and I loved being able to spend time with them.  Today, I see family much differently.  I still love our time with our families.  Toby and his three brothers are hilarious when they get together and I love my sisters-in-law dearly. My mother and father-in-law are like parents to me.  But family is so much more.  Family is the people who surround you when times are tough, not just in times of celebration.  Family is the people who step in to give you a break when you are exhausted.  And call you on the carpet when you claim to be "fine" when you clearly are not.  They are your supporters, your listening ear, and your partners in doing the hard stuff that comes along in this crazy life.

Toby and I are grateful to have Jeff and Heather as family and we are thankful that God placed them in our lives at His perfect time.  Just when He knew we needed them.