Bring On Lemons

I guess I'll try to quickly explain what remains so confusing in my head and heart most days. I was in love with a handsome young man and we eventually got married. Somewhere between falling in love (or what we thought was love at that time) and getting married. we well ... we hopped into bed together. We were both young, successful, busy in our churches, dedicated to our families, and shocked. Why were we shocked? Because we had somehow managed to be intimate at just the right moment to create life. For weeks I was in denial and making up excuses for the obvious symptoms. I was as small as I had ever been. My husband and I worked together and the men we worked with even commented about how great I looked. I was 20, tall, thin, and yet I was terribly sick. I wen to the walk in clinic expecting to find out I had an ulcer. Not exactly...I happened to be three months pregnant. It didn't take us long to decide that we couldn't provide the type of home our child deserved. We w...

I shared a picture on Facebook today and I'll share it here with you all as well: My dad was quite devoted to his family, and he was a good man. I would go so far as to say that he was a great man. He passed away when I was young so I honestly didn't see any of the faults that may have been under the service. He was quiet, patient, loving, and kind. As a little girl, that's all I could have wanted. He spent time with me and loved me unconditionally. He listened to me and protected me. Looking back, I totally get all that. He had wanted to be a father and waited nearly 50 years to have a child. He had every reason to be smitten with me. Here's what I don't get about parenting (and this is not a complete list, because I truly don't understand the absent and abusive parents, the unloving parents, etc... but that's not what this is about) - I don't get how someone can be as devoted as my dad was to me, to children that aren't theirs. My hat goes off...