This picture was taken August 2010 after Kate spent some time in a place in Georgia. There she experienced the best care and counseling that is available today. She got to learn a LOT about herself. The reasons why she does things, the reasons why she cares do deeply about things and in the process has helped her in the long run in making choices. I love this picture because there is healing in this moment. A tough year before for her and for us as a family but in this moment its where love is discovered that its not about a feeling. Its about a commitment. It has me really praying and thinking hard the last few weeks as her day to move to NC and back into our family is this coming Saturday. Its a new beginning in many ways. Its a redo from what happened 2 years ago. Its about grace and learning to love when its hard, when its not often convenient and even when you just dont think its possible any longer.
I learned in that season of time to really love deeply. Though tough things happening, grace pours out from the heart and forgiveness is given and love deepens to a new level.
I am so excited to have Kate back. Though for sure it will change the dynamics of my home, the freedoms we all share currently but all those things are worth it. There is not a time table on this journey ahead and I am thankful for that. I think far too often we have people in our lives, often times our own children and when they turn to a tough road in life, we often think of them as a project. We need to get them fixed. We need to do something to get them back on the right paths again. We need to do something on our end - but often enough, it has to be on their end. Its their decisions and paths and not ours.
People are not projects and I am in a place in my heart and in my relationship with Kate that this is not about fixing anything - its about opportunity - its about comittment.
Being comitted to lead, to love, to be a role model, to show her Jesus, to accept as she is, and just love her.
I think about this acceptance when I go visit my family in VA. It was our family reunion yesterday in Ararat VA as we do each year on the first Sunday in November. Its a day that often times I get to see my family for the first time since that exact day last year. Its hard to get up that way and harder even to see everyone with everyone all over the mountain. But its a day, I get so excited for. Its a day that Uncle Homer addresses the family, speaks to us as one, no matter how plugged in we are with each other or not - He reminds us to be thankful for all the blessings God has given us this past year. We remember the ones not with us and it is a meal shared like no other. Carol, Kyle, Morgan and myself got to share in such a great day - I got to spend a little time with my cousins kids and to see my grandmother and her sisters family and my aunts and uncles. Its just a day where we are happy to see each other. Happy for this day to share and accept right then where we are in life. Hey, dont care you havent been around for awhile or life is hard - today and right here we are glad and thankful you are here. It has always been that way.
My relationship with Kate is the same way. I accept you as you are today sweetie and I cant wait to move forward. To build something from where it is today. No hard or tough feelings of the past holding us back. Just like being a part of the family renunion - welcome back sweetie.
Welcome home.

James 1:27 - Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Carol, Kyle and a host of families we do life with are comitted not because we love out of a feeling but because we are comitted. God gave us an example, a great example of loving others. I too have lost my mom, Carol has lost her mom and for that - those experiences in life we have each other to lean on. God has taken away so that we can relate. So that we can rebuild and move forward. He has given us each other.

Love you more than you will ever know Kate. 5 days let the rebuilding begin. Deeply comitted by the example of love that Christ has given us.

Uncle Lonnie ~