A place of your own.

It's happened about 40 or 50 times over the last 20 years.

We had our 3 and 5 year old foster children returned to their mother recently. That doesn't happen often. (getting back with the mom) What happened next does.

We had a rest from the sights and sounds of toddlers, thinking we'd not have to do that for a while...maybe no more. After all, while we look pretty darned good, we've been parenting for a long time...and little ones are....so....well....little. You know.

But then, we got the call.

"we have a small family of children that just need a place temporarily - a short time - just till we get a permanent situation arranged...so can you take them?"

"yes"

Then it begins. There is a room shuffle. The oldest son is now in the large bedroom. He's got a double bed and the distinction of the "big room". Of course, looking in the room brings to mind the chorus to the Elvis song - you know the one - "...in the ghettttoooh..."

He gets ejected to a smaller room so the 3 and 4 year old new kids can have a room together. The new 2 year old is going in the smallest bedroom that was recently vacated by our former 3 year old. Yes, I did say we just got a 2, 3, and 4 year old.

My wife and one of our grown daughters sized up the room situation. They took beds from 4 bedrooms as well as the attic, remixed them, re matched dressers, toys, trinkets, curtains, blankets, and everything that makes a kids room the kid's room, and worked for about a couple of hours.

When the dust had settled (I was there for the heavy lifting and then went away), I quietly walked through the new arrangements, particularly the room for the new kids (due to arrive in an hour or so at that point). There was play china on the little table, and little dolls and stuffed animals strategically placed in what had been the ghetttoooh a couple of hours before. I imagined these little ones displaced and torn from their family walking in to their new place...their new Mommy, temporary or not, had made it just so.... like she has for these many years...a special place...one where you can sleep peacefully.

The Lord watches over these little lambs.

But He likes them to be quiet at bed time.