Temp Kid, Saying Goodbye and The Joy of the Lord

We are borrowing a fifteen year old boy for the summer.  His name is Jared and he is pretty great.  Jared is one of those tech genius types that Warren can totally relate to.  They have a good time together over dinner and traveling back and forth to work.  Work? You say?  Yes.  Jared scored a summer internship at the theater.  That is how he came to stay with us for the summer.  You see, his parents used to live here and his dad now works for the Branson branch of the theater.  We love this family dearly and were so happy to say yes when Jared needed a place to stay.  On his first evening here Jared was online chatting with some friends and I overheard him refer to me as "Temp Mom"...I looked up and he said, "I don't know what I'm supposed to call you".  Melt my heart.  I told him to just call me Becky...he's here doing adult work so I'm planning to treat him mostly as an adult. Although I did try to put butter and syrup on his pancake this morning....he told me he could do that. lol  So......things are going great with our Temp Kid!!

Over the weekend our Chloe went downhill very quickly. Her respiratory rate was more than twice the normal count.   Monday morning I called and set a time to say our goodbyes.  It was hard, hard, hard.  But Georgia was available to go with me and so it happened.  I immediately felt a weight lifted off my chest once she was out of her distress.  In hindsight I wish we had either taken Bandit with us for the appointment or brought Chloe's body home so that she would have known what happened.  As it was Bandit spent the first 24 hours searching for Chloe.  In the approximately eight years we have had Bandit, Chloe was like a mom to her.  She has never been alone.  Poor baby.  I have shed more tears for her distress than my own pain.  But each day she is a bit better and I know that she will be fine.  I've been trying to figure out benefits to having just one dog and I'm coming up short at the moment.....but we won't rush into anything.

Through all of the challenges of this past year the JOY of the Lord remains.  Last evening I spent time with some ladies and this theme came up over and over again.  I know that sometimes we don't feel happy.  Sometimes we feel pretty stinkin' awful.  But the foundation of His Joy remains.  It is very resilient.  Before you think it would be possible.... you begin to know that peace.  And quickly following the peace come the bubbles of joy.  Like the bottom of the pot of hot water....slowly and just a couple at first....and then it comes to a boil.  Because the Love of God and the way He shows His intimate involvement in our lives can not leave us in a constant state of despair.  We must respond in gratitude and that brings the Joy.

I am holding on to this truth as we come closer to knowing how things will go for Chadd.  These are important days in the process.  Your prayers are so appreciated.  Thank you, so much!!