Surprise Guest

This past Tuesday evening as it was heading toward 5 o'clock I was sitting in my front room chair chatting on the phone with my mom. Now, for a firefighter's wife, these hours around 4 and 5 o'clock are probably the most challenging hours of the day when my husband is at work. When most families would be preparing for their papas (not potatoes, daddys) to get home, my children are staring at me - as they've done a hundred times throughout the day - as if to ask, "Ok, what next?" And I, as their mama - knowing my husband will not get home for another 15 hours, have the responsibility of figuring just what it is we are going to do next. Most of the time I have no freakin' idea and by 4 or 5 o'clock I'm usually fresh out of anything good. Plus, I usually have low blood sugar around this time which makes me really confused and all I really want to do is run to the taco truck and call it good. And so it was on this particular Tuesday evening (Cinco de Mayo).

I had decided that we would run over to my mom's house and exchange some of our Fix, Freeze, Feast meals. That would burn up at least an hour and a half. As I was about to get off the phone I look out the window to see someone waving at me. Now, I should back up here for a moment. Last Friday night I was invited to a neighborhood barbecue. While there, I met two Mexican men. One of them lives a couple doors down with his wife and three boys. His friend spoke some english but he spoke very, very little. As usual, I took the opportunity to practice my Spanish and chatted with them for a while. Cesar, my neighbor, and his wife work down the hill at a Mexican restaurant that we frequent. I'd seen his wife and two of their boys outside before - it was nice to meet him.

So I look out the window and standing there outside my gate, side by side smiling, are Cesar and Rosa Maria. I quickly got off the phone and went out to say hi. They began hurriedly explaining to me (in Spanish) that they both needed to go to work and that their babysitter had canceled on them (the other friend at the party) and would I watch their baby for a couple of hours. I'm sure I sat there for a moment just staring at them - all sorts of thoughts running through my head. I don't even know these people. I would never drop my baby off at a stranger's house. What do I say to them?!? So, at first I said no, telling them that I was just about to leave to go to my mom's. They said they would leave his car seat for me if I wanted. What?! And then it hit me. There I was, only moments earlier, trying to figure out something to do with my evening. And here they were, moments later, desperate for my willingness to serve them.

And so I said, with a smile on my face, "I am a Christian and I want to serve you in this way. We all need help sometimes so yes, bring him in, " realizing only later that the Lord was impressing this on my heart:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22: 36-39


And so, in came sweet, little 8 month old Hernan. My kids LOVED him. Steele was the cutest. As soon as Cesar left, Steele started hopping around, clapping his hands exclaiming, "Maybe this is our new baby! Maybe this is our new baby!"

No son, we don't get to keep this one. But you know adoption is the norm in your family when your son thinks babies just get randomly dropped off on your doorstep. Then Steele wanted to hold him. So I sat Hernan on Steele's lap on the couch and Steele began directing me, "Mama! Mama! Get this baby a toy!" It was too funny.

Poor Hernan. Look at his eyes. Silently pleading, crying out...
Please! Get me out of this crazy house!

I called Justin at work and told him we had a baby at our house. He sat there on the other end of the line wondering to himself if someone, knowing we have adopted children, had brought a baby to us to take care of.

You know adoption is the norm in your family when your husband thinks babies just get randomly dropped off on your doorstep.....