Today, a year later, she is far different. I know that in one year from now I will probably say the same thing. And I don't mean to say she is soooo different like she had all these changes that she needed to make because she was bad or something, just changes that she needed to go through. And I don't by any means think that she is done.
I honestly believe that many think that if a child goes to a home with a relative they think- oh all is well, child is with family. Life is good. That is far from the truth. That just means that family thinks they can be all up in your business more since they are all family! haha.
Lil Miss has come out of her shell this year, she smiles when a camera comes her way. Poses now. I just want to scream that from the mountains. SHE SMILES!!! One of my friends quietly mentioned that to me one day at church and I will never forget that moment. She said, do you just notice how she smiles at the camera, doesn't sheepily shy away. I did notice. I was happy about it, and her noticing meant the world to me. The world!
She is doing better in school. And I believe will continue to do better. From what I have seen this summer I believe with the right teacher she is going to flourish this year.
She is successful at an instrument and sport. She has never done either and tries hard at both. She sat in her room the other day and practiced on her own her violin for a half hour. I know it was that exact amount as I have been sick and had a headache. I wanted to say they could all have a freebie that day on their violin sticks. But away she went, on her own.
As I sit here and remember that day, a year ago when she came. We all made these silly little signs and hung them in the entry way. We kept one, it says "Welcome Back 'lil miss we love you!" In some ways I felt as if everything was comfortable, but in others I just knew that storm was about to hit. I knew that it couldn't be as good as it was right then. Children happily playing and giggling, all the adults smiling. I just knew that this was not going to be it. And of course it wasn't. Someone, at some point had to say no. had to set boundaries, had to give expectations with follow through and love. Not just lavish. While I am sure some would expect one to say "oh I would never want to do that again..." I would. Everything I experienced with her has taught me something. You can pray in the midst of anything. You can choose any voice and any behavior you want. You can choose to set an example. And that is the truth. This little girl has taught me so much this year. She has taught me about love, about patience, about hard truths, about healing, and about so much more that I don't know if I am ready to write about yet.
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