those little reminders ..

so the move has been pretty rough on all of us.

but it feels like we are starting to get to the other side of it.  hubby is loving the challenge of his job and the kids are enjoying school.

perhaps things might start normalising?  right?  you would think so.

and then the little reminders happen.

waking up early .... and coming in to see you before 6:00 with a craft project they've obviously been working on for a while.  fingernails being chewed to the quick.  temper tantrums that harken back to the early days of coming home.  all these things that remind you that perhaps they aren't as settled as you had thot.

and then the brick drops.  my precious can't find me and when they do the first words out of their mouths are, "where did you go?  i thot you had left me!"

it is easy to forget that no matter what they say or do .... our adopted children have an underlying theme of grief and loss in their lives.  we can't hide it, we can't pretend it's not there.  it is path that we have to gently walk each day to build a strong foundation of stability and trust in their lives.  some days are tough, some days are easy.  finding that balance in pushing them forward vs letting them use the loss as an excuse not to work through things is not always an easy road to walk.  but it is ours and we happily chose it

so this is a day, a moment and a time where treading gently and carefully in the lives of my children is very important.  to reinforce to them that they are loved and treasured just the way they are.   

i reckon it's time to take my shoes off and walk in some clover.