Mckennaugh Kelley came to stay with us for a month. We drove up to Mt. St. Hellens , the beach, the ape caves and Mt. hood. We played a weird YmYmFam show at a birthday party. We had a great house show, camped with our church group at Seaside and did other fun things.
Mckennaugh joined the family at Kajukenbo class and learned a surprising amount. She spent a grueling and exiting 3.5 hours with me when Ephraim and I tested for our advanced sashes in Kajukenbo (similiar to Kungfu). Ephraim was rewarded his purple/white sash and I got my purple.
We spent a lot of time with our church group and just enjoying our normal everyday stuff like home school, reading books together, scenic drives in the big van, and sleeping out on the trampoline. We cried together, laughed, teased and sweated a lot.
I have been avoiding writing because I wasn't sure how personal I should get on a blog. Everything in my life that I care about is intense and ... well, personal. So, I won't tell all. But I will tell some.
We were thrilled to welcome a new creation into the Goodenough family. I had a new experience with this baby that I'd never felt with any other pregnancy. I told Leon, "I feel different with this pregnancy. This little son or daughter seems like a real person that I have a relationship with. I feel his life close to me and I already love him/her" . I was telling about it when we went out on our Saturday morning coffee date. I suspected that God had a reason for the change and I knew that God had a special purpose for this new life. A few days later when we reached Timberline lodge I realized God was taking my little child back to him. I sent everyone out hiking and I stayed in the van. With the van door open to the blue sky and wispy clouds I let the tears roll down my face. I looked up into the sky and heaven was so close. Apparently I never REALLY believed in heaven before that moment even though I thought I did. Now, looking up, I truly believed, I could sense it's realness.
"how long has my baby been with you , God?"
This was a rich time between God and I, and my 4 little ones that are with him, and uncle Harold and others that I have loved that have gone on to the real world and left me behind.
I know that God has a special purpose for this new person that he created.
Thank you to those who are supernaturally able to love our secret child.
- and thank you also to those who are not so in touch with the poetry of God's love but who do their best to love me and my family. We love you too.
-Jennifer
2 comments:
I learned so many beautiful things as I lived with your family for month. The baby will always be special to me. I shared so many tears and laughs and heaps of both joy and pain with you all. I wish our time together could be painted or woven--collected into something that I could always hold. I suppose that, in a way, it can be; the memories have combined themselves into a shimmering piece that I can keep in my mind. I can hardly wait for my return trip--I hope that it is not long away:)
I will never forget the little one.
Thank you for opening your hearts and home to me.
Mingled tears of pain and joy at your loss of 4 babes. Harold & your precious babies are all rejoicing together.
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