Quick note on the power of brother-in-laws and the lifelines they bring. I love all my broinlaws (every one of them is quite amazing in their own way) and, having grown up with no brothers, find them all to be amazing blessings.
One of my BIL is my lifeline when it comes to parenting adoptive kids. Jeff Martin does not hang on social media, but I do want to do a shoutout. We’ve been doing a journey with kids for 10+ years. And it’s been incredible, beautiful, challenging, and fu##### hard. Which is why having someone you can laugh with is so incredibly key.
Here’s a not uncommon text between us.
“Cops and ambulance are in the neighborhood. You OK?”
(For the record, it’s what all adoptive parents tend to text each other).
Or.
“Whiskey. It’s a whiskey night”
Or.
“I got XYZ, can you (last minute) do PDQ?”
Or.
“Kroger changed all the aisles. Your life is going to suck for the next few weeks.”
Or.
“Child XYZ may be deciding to burn down the house. You mind taking a few kids while we sort this out?”
Or.
“Help.”
Jeff is my outlet. My source of venting. It goes both ways. We’re in the trenches and we know it. And you never want to run solo in the trenches.
One of the biggest blessings in life is to marry into a family you adore. One you can cry, laugh, and honestly, make a difference with while trying to make the world a slightly better place.
I feel nothing but gratitude.
