In 1998, we heard about nineteen-year-old Mary, a single parent who was unsure of her ability to provide for her baby. Five months later, after figuring there was no possibility of adopting that particular baby, we sat down to fill out an adoption application with a private agency. That night we received a phone call asking if we were still interested in adopting Mary's baby. Four frantic days later, we brought our eldest daughter home.
Four years
later, twin boys were placed
with us by Child & Family Services.
(The boys were born at 27 weeks gestation, weighing less than two pounds
each. The fact they survived is a miracle.) Our 18-month-old
twins introduced us to
a completely new world – special needs. Only those who
walk in these shoes know the special joys, challenges, and gifts these children
provide. The first thing we noticed about our boys was their silence – no babbling, no chatter. We were told they had “global developmental delays.”
After six months
of scooping with a spoon, our hand over his - every day, several times a day - we celebrated while Luke
actually fed himself. At twenty-seven
months, we cheered
while Levi took his
first wobbly step. A few months later,
he was able to climb up
on a chair by himself and stand. We
clapped, momentarily
forgetting that Levi’s
balance still needed
help. He stood for mere
seconds, grinning from ear to ear, before taking a terrible tumble to the floor. He landed on his head with glasses protruding at an odd
angle, and blood gushing. We cringed as
the doctor interrogated us. We learned to sign, using Signing Exact English,
so the twins had a
means of communicating with us. Progress
was excruciatingly
slow. Our boys, at age four, finally voiced the words, “Mom” and
“Dad” for the first time. The pediatrician who first saw our twins said they would never walk, talk, or feed themselves.
We are thankful God had other plans for them!
Two years later,
Jayson joined our
family. Although Jayson is a full
sibling to Luke and Levi,
he had fewer obvious
challenges. However, parenting skills that worked with
our other children were not nearly as effective with Jayson. We learned
to be very creative in dealing with challenging behaviors.
Several years
later, we received
another phone call informing us we had been matched with twins (a three-year-old boy
and girl). However, the adoption fell through before we even met the
children, due to circumstances beyond our control.
Life settled
into a comfortable routine. It seemed our family was complete. I decided to take on a part-time position
with our local school board. A month later, we were informed our boys had a new baby sister and were asked to consider adopting her. Our file was still open from the “match” that
fell through, making it
possible for us to become foster parents in a matter of
days. We drove to the hospital to meet our new little
daughter. Although we had four children, we had never cared for a newborn before, let alone one who had heart problems. The hospital staff patiently showed us what we needed to know to care for her. A year later she was taken off her heart medication because there was no trace of any heart problems.
The next summer
my husband and four older children were anticipating a carefree afternoon ride
on horses in the backwoods at camp when a tanker truck zoomed over a double yellow line and rammed
into the van in which they were riding. The van rolled and came to a screeching
halt in the ditch. (My husband describes seeing bodies flop around like clothes
in a washing machine. One of the ambulance attendants asked our daughter how many people died in the accident.) We're thankful the van took a left turn, avoiding most of the impact, thankful a young fellow passenger scooted
from the corner that was hit to the middle seat because the seat belt wouldn't
hook, and thankful the
worst injury was a broken leg (to the fellow passenger). I'll never forget my family stumbling through the doorway of the cabin, dusty, bloody, and tearful, but alive.
Seven months later I received a phone call informing me my
husband was in emergency at the local hospital. He had taken a snowmobile he
fixed, out for a test drive and the next thing he knew he was lying on the snow
several meters away from the crumpled snowmobile. Somehow he was able to start
the machine and drive it back to the shop where he worked. (That was the last
time the snowmobile started.) His coworker rushed him
to the hospital where he was put in a neck brace and immobilized. Although he wasn't wearing a helmet, he walked away with minor injuries and a few major bruises.
As you can see, we have many things for which to praise the Lord. Will you join us in praising Him for His goodness and His wonderful works in our family?
Ruth L. Snyder and her husband, Kendall, have five children ages six to seventeen. Besides looking after her family, Ruth enjoys teaching Music for Young Children and writing. She currently serves as the editor for In the Loop, a quarterly newsletter for foster, adoptive, and kinship families in northeastern Alberta, Canada. Connect with Ruth at http://ruthlsnyder.com.
As you can see, we have many things for which to praise the Lord. Will you join us in praising Him for His goodness and His wonderful works in our family?
Ruth L. Snyder and her husband, Kendall, have five children ages six to seventeen. Besides looking after her family, Ruth enjoys teaching Music for Young Children and writing. She currently serves as the editor for In the Loop, a quarterly newsletter for foster, adoptive, and kinship families in northeastern Alberta, Canada. Connect with Ruth at http://ruthlsnyder.com.
