God's Plan

So, I'm home today with just Grace and Justin. In some ways, it is a sweet reminder of what would have been "if only". You see, Justin is the only baby that Will and I had together, and we adopted Grace a year and a half ago. I had the chance to spend a few months with my little ones after Daniel returned to public school last December, but for some reason I was struck with a surprising notion today. The elementary schools in our district had a "Staff Development Day", which meant my Middle Schoolers still had to face the school day. But Justin got to hang out with Grace and I. As I was enjoying their silly play together, and sometimes nipping a screaming fit in the bud, I realized that this is what our family would have been if Will and I had never been married, had children and been widowed before "us". What a different life that would have been. However, I can't imagine my life going any other way than it did, and I know Will feels the same. Those three big kids are treasures in our hearts, and bless our family everyday. In truth, Will and I wouldn't be the spouses or parents we are now, without those experiences. This family did not come together without pain, but we are abundantly blessed for working our way through it. I'm so glad God had a plan that was so much bigger than we could fathom, imagine or guess.