A Christmas to remember...

 12 things I am thankful for this Christmas and 12 things I am asking you (friends and family) to pray for...

12 things I am thankful for (in no particular order):

1. A healthy Home (mostly)

2. Food to fill our bellies

3. A fireplace

4. All family close by, no super long traveling days anymore.

5. New friends I have made this year and their children 

6. My village that surrounds us with so much love, including her Grandma.

7. My beautiful children

8. My amazing, down to earth Husband

9. My church home

10. The joy that fostercare has brought into our home.

11. Our social workers and team.

12. The bright future ahead.

12 things to pray about:

1. S's biolgoical mom and dad...for them to overcome addiction and come back home to their families.

2. S's uncle...for him to be at peace and to feel loved.

3. The overwhelming darkness that surrounds S's entire family...from drugs to crimes to mental illness to homelessness to custody battles and everything in between. 

4. For S's future...we would love to be her family if God so chooses.

5. For S's grandma and our relationship to continue to blossom. She is a woman of God and loves her family through it all.

6. For my family to continue to love and help us walk S through her life.

7. For S to one day be able to reunite with her half sibling who is dealing with a lot of trauma right now. 

8. For David and I to be able to foster some of these broken relationships in S's life and for stability in those relationships. 

9. For S to continue to grow and develop on time with no setbacks.

10. For S to continue being healthy even though her immune system still seems a bit lagging.

11. For the court system to hear her case in February and advocate for her to stay in our home forever. And that the social workers will continue to advocate for that as well. Parental rights will be terminated by that point.

12. For any future children of S's parents. Who knows if there will ever be anymore, but please pray for their future not to be full of so much trauma.