The past week has been somewhat energy sucking. I came home at lunch last week to this disgusting smell in my house. I thought it might be the trash, so I took that out. When I came back several hours later, it still smelled. So, I emptied the turtle's water (yes we still have our turtle from college). Then Nate came home and asked me if I had "used the bathroom!" I told him no, and that I was trying to figure out where the smell was coming from. Long story short, about an hour later, after we had blew some time getting iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts, we noticed a small wet spot outside of our basement door. We opened the basement door and found that our whole bottom level of our house was flooded with city sewage...about 3 inches worth...so much, the carpet was floating. We called a couple of our friends over, who graciously waded through the sewage to help salvage what we could.

We lost a lot...our furniture, our book cases, scrapbooks, pictures, tables, and about 2 weeks worth of laundry which happened to be on the floor. I lost a trunk full of all my winter clothing. Surprisingly, I didn't cry at all the first two days as Nate and I continued to sort through the mess. I forgot to mention, that this took place 2 days before our Youth Spring Retreat, where we would be taking 25 teens away for the weekend. Let's just say that 15 minutes before we were ready to leave for retreat, I completely lost it.

I don't know why it is so hard to part with our "stuff." As I watched the people take away my favorite Roxy suitcase, my volleyball shoes, scrapbooks I had worked really hard on, and piles of my clothing, I felt like a piece of me was being taken. Here's the crazy part. I tried to save my clothing. I know...really gross to think it was sitting in someone else's...well you know. I wanted to keep that stuff. And then I got an email that my Uncle had forwarded me from one of his friends that worked for Compassion and Disaster Relief, and he said "If you are bringing babies from Ethiopia into your home, they may not have the strongest immune systems. You don't want to take any chances with bacteria in that clothing."

Wow...for the first time in our life, our decisions aren't about just Nate and I. They are now including these two little ones that we have already fell in love with whom we haven't even met yet. Even though we haven't been matched, even though our referral seems really far away, tonight I realized I want to be the kind of mom that Nate and I both have...one who would do anything for their kids. One who would do anything to protect their children, one who would sacrifice everything, one who makes decisions based on their child's needs, even when it means losing what seems important to you at the time.

Tonight one of my teens, Tasha, and her sister (a former teenager who graduated from our youth ministry), and their mom (one of my prayer partners and friend), showed up with brand new clothes for me they had picked out from Marshalls...Roxy stuff, cute and trendy stuff, stuff that they knew I would love. Tasha is one of the most sensitive teenagers I know and practically cried giving me the bag. She was the same teen that shared part of her money she had earned from her job to go towards our adoption, and brought me flowers on Mothers' Day thanking me for being a "second mom." Her mom has taught her compassion...her mom has taught her sacrifice, and I know her mom would do anything for her. I want to be that kind of mom.

Even in the midst of sewage, lost memories, frustrations, ruined piles of clothing and furniture that we will never see again tonight, I find myself smiling, because God has reminded me that I have a lot to be thankful for. So thanks Tasha...for encouraging me tonight to see things differently, through a small act of compassion.

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  1. KristinMay 19, 2011 at 6:46 AM

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  2. KristinMay 19, 2011 at 6:47 AM

    Andrea, what a beautiful post. And written regarding a situation that is not exactly, umm, beautiful (to say the least). I'm so sorry to hear about your basement disaster, that must have been extremely difficult. Although those mementos and clothes are only things, they are imbued with memories and parts of ourselves. Of course, you are not discarding the memories or pieces of your 'old selves', but in removing them you are saying goodbye to what was.

    Just think of all the room you will now have for new scrapbooks filled with the memories you are about to create! The beauty will only grow.

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