Perfect Planning

"The wheel is come full circle." ~ William Shakespeare

So, we were in the "greeting" phase of church this morning when Gracey suddenly grabbed me and said, "Mommy! Is that Lori?!"  (Lori is not her real name. Just go with it.) 

I looked at her like she was crazy - then followed her finger as it pointed to a girl a couple rows in front of us. Sure enough there stood Lori, a girl near and dear to our hearts. A girl we all pray for and care about. A girl we wanted to take into our home a few years ago. But above all, a girl who Gracey considers close enough to be a sister.

Gracey practically yelled her name, and we had a beautiful moment of realization that once again, God's plan had come full circle. You see, during the years I worked at the children's home, Gracey was building a relationship with Lori. We had her at our house all the time. She was our extra kid in every way. 

And, as I've blogged before, when I left the children's home six years ago, it was a touch decision, but one that allowed us to complete our family by adopting Billy. (Yes, I know he was already grown..but I wouldn't have adopted any child while looking at 40 kids who wanted their own families every day.) Our connection to the home is an emotional one - and we as a family hold it in high regard. 

A couple years ago we learned that Lori had been put in the foster system and even offered our home as a potential placement.  We have thought about her countless times. Billy asks about her every so often. Gracey mentions her quite frequently. And we all watch Facebook to see if she signs on and sends us messages. We love Lori and wanted the best possibly placement for her. (She had moved quite a few times, I think.)

So when Gracey "found" her today, it was an amazing moment because we realized she's at the children's home.  The place we KNOW cares about kids and offers them the greatest chance of success. 

I cannot begin to tell you the sense of relief we all felt at that moment. Once again, I stand in awe of God's plan. And once again, my faith is renewed because I was given the opportunity to see how that plan came to pass. How blessed we are to be given today's gift. And how thankful we are to know that Lori is safe and sound where we can rekindle our relationship with her.

It's a beautiful mess: This thing called life. 

Just when a loss knocks me to my knees, I'm given a gift that gives me the strength to stand again.