It doesn’t seem like it’s been over 21 years since I met my oldest daughter. She was almost 7 years old at that time, and she had not had much stability in the couple of years prior to me meeting her. I see her now, and I am so proud she chooses to call me “Mom.” She is beautiful, loving, and so full of faith.
Her dad and I had been long time friends who lost contact about the time he got married. He had joined the Air Force and been stationed in TX and then Germany. I had gotten married right out of high school, a year after Joe had. Fast forward to when we would meet up again, after not hearing from one another for about 7 years. He had recently been divorced, and I was just beginning my divorce proceedings. Amazingly, our friendship piked up where it left off, and about a year later, we were married. He brought 3 small children into the marriage, and I brought 2, and a little more than a year after our marriage, we had a child of our own. We now had 6 small children, ages 8 down to newborn in our home 24/7. Things changed rapidly in our lives. We learned the hard way many times, how to blend a family and make it all work. It was not easy, but we are finally reaping the benefits of working so hard.
I will write more about the trials we faced and the other children soon, but today, I want to focus of Chas. She is beginning a new adventure and I want to share it with you.
Chas, who is our oldest, has now been married to Cliff for more than 7 years. They do not have children yet, but I hope they will some day. They have been faithfully working on getting their college degrees for several years, taking time off here and there for God’s work. They were house parents for a Children’s Home in AR for about 2 1/2 years. They were the youngest house parents they had, yet, everyone admired them a great deal. The relationships they forged working in the Children’s Home have stayed with them even though they are no longer active with the Children’s Home. Some of the older parents at the Children’s Home, took them under their wings and encouraged them and helped them in many ways become the young adults they are today.
After Chas’ biological mother passed away in 2010, they left the Children’s Home and began working on their degrees again. She poured her life into school and work and tried hard not to dwell on the loss of her mother. Losing her mother had a huge impact on our whole family. Although she had not always been a great example for the children, she had turned her life around and was doing God’s work at the church and in her family and community. She had become the Mother the children needed. I know, as many do, that Chas was very much the reason for her Mother’s turn-around. She had become the stability in her Mother’s world and showed Carrie, by example what it meant to serve with a humble heart and faithfulness. Chas showed Carrie she could stand on her own two feet, with the love of Christ leading her.
About a year and a half after losing her Mother, Chas lost two of her Grandfathers. One lived in TX and after he died, Chas and her sweet husband picked up everything and went to live with her Grandma for six months. She wanted to help her get back on her feet and be there for her while she mourned and figured out her next move in life. Chas did this out of love, but also faith in God. She and Cliff trusted God would provide for them, and he did. Their being with Grandma for those short few months, gave them a better understanding of one another, and gave Grandma an appreciation of the adult Chas had become.
Chas and Cliff soon moved back to AR and began attending college once again. She changed her major for the umpteenth time and she and Cliff will now be graduating in May of this year. Upon graduating, they will be moving to Phoenix, AZ and helping plant a church. They have been doing the leg work, ground work, work, work, work, to make this move a reality. Though I am saddened by my sweet child moving so far away, I could not be more proud of her. She is again, trusting God will provide for her completely!
Today, Chas, Cliff and another couple are going to Phoenix to see the area they will be working this summer. They are stepping out on faith and love for our King. I am so proud of them.
I have set up a Go Fund Me campaign for their endeavors. If you would like to help their team, either long term or short term, could you please give just a few dollars? It would mean the world to this momma to know her girl was being supported by my friends. Thank you all in advance for helping, and always, thank you for reading my blog.
Be blessed today and always,
Marie
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