By ThinkJP.Consulting™ Copyright© 2015 - All Rights Reserved
Being a Foster Mom was never a role I would
have ever imagined for myself. In
fact, after just a few years of being married, Jack and I determined that we
wanted freedom to explore our dreams of working for the Lord and did not want to
be “burdened down” with children.
God and the Angels must really have a good
laugh sometimes, because we were "blessed" with a houseful of "children".
Little did we know that the “mission field” God wanted us to work in was
as close as our own home.
My oldest sister is 9 years older than I,
and while I was growing up, it was like having a second Mom.
My Mother worked outside of the home and my sister was always there to
look after things and make sure I was well cared for.
She did a great job and I love her dearly.
We are still very close. My
brother is 8 years older and spoiled me rotten.
He always made me feel special, and of course I thought he was just the
BEST. My sister closest to me in age
is 5 years older. While I was more
of a “tag-along nuisance” for her, she still watched over me.
As you might guess, I was very spoiled and had to do very little for
myself.
Jack’s brother is 10 years older than he,
and his sister is 8 years older. In
many respects, a good portion of his life was spent as an “only” child because
his brother and sister were both away at school and college.
As you might guess, he too was plenty spoiled.
Being that we were both the youngsters of
our families, our first years of marriage were spent defining our new roles in
this family of ours. Actually, I
must confess that Jack assumed most of the responsibilities.
I was OVERWHELMED with
this new life I had “dreamed about”.
Being the youngest in my family, I never really had to do many chores, so,
keeping house, cooking, and doing laundry was a whole new adventure for me.
Shortly after we were married, I remember thinking that I would never tire of
ironing shirts for the most wonderful man in the world.
I was WRONG. Married life was
NOT turning out the way I had
fantasized it would. In fact, it was
HARD work. For a short while I lost
sight of exactly why I pursued this dream to marry my “soul mate”.
But then, things started to smooth out.
I learned to make the “perfect” PBJ sandwich, just the way my husband
liked them, just the way he taught me.
It was such a success I am honored to share my very first recipe with you
at this time.
”Jack’s PBJ Sandwich”
First, butter both slices of sesame-topped bread, not too thick and not too thin.
Spread Jiffy peanut butter on one slice of bread.
Spread Welch’s Concord
GRAPE jelly on the other slice of
bread.
NEVER
try
another flavor OR brand of jelly!
Carefully place the two
together, and give a tiny little squeeze.
Serve with a “Kiss”.
We were both very pleased with my new “skills” of home making, and this soon became one of our main meals. Of course by the time we got into the foster care business, I had mastered the art of planning and preparing well-balanced meals. However, I would never have dreamed that I could ever be capable of preparing a meal for so many people at one time when we were first married. It never ceases to amaze me how God molds and shapes us as He prepares us for the tasks He has for us to do at a later time. I have learned SO much over the years, and thankfully for my husband, my cooking skills have improved.
I can’t even count the number of times I have looked back on those “carefree” days with a smile as I lovingly prepared home cooked meals for my “foster family” plus friends, on a daily basis. I smile at how, in spite of our decision to enjoy a life free of children, God has filled our lives with all the laughter and love that children bring to a home. He ALWAYS knows what is best for us.
One day this young lady came home with us after church so they could spend time
together outside of church. After a while, the two had grown bored and
came into the kitchen where I was putting dishes into the dishwasher.
I noticed that our young man was acting a bit nervous and through his
stutter, finally got his question out…. “We, we, were wondering if, if, it would
be okay with you if, if, we had sex”?