Taylor family

This picture is from May 05. Now, four months later, the girls have grown and changed alot. Their mom no longer wears the graduation gown (duh). And I am still called grandpa Marlin. While Justice has mastered the phrase, grandma Becky, Jackie still calls her grandma Marlin.

Just over a year ago, we met Dick and Amanda who had 2 little blonde haired girls. I had bent down to look eye to eye with both little girls on the sidewalk approaching church. After I said good morning, Jackie reached over and gave me a big hug. That melted my heart--and fast. After church, Becky met them, and the friendship begun. Becky and I easily found their friendship as one valued and enjoyed. With Dick being in the Navy, he was often gone on training exercises. Shortly after Dick left on a training mission, Sierra was born (Nov 1).

Dick and Amanda are a fabulous couple. Dick has an intense desire to be a father to his kids and provide for his family. He is unselfish and shares his knowledge and skills (cooking, computer, mechanical) with his friends. Amanda is an incredibly strong lady--drove herself to the hospital for Sierra's birth, and then drove herself home less than 24 hours later. Together, they make a neat couple who share a deep committment to each other and their kids. How I wish more families had parents equally committed to their children.

Life has a funny way of giving more than we could ever give. These three girls have worked their way into our hearts and lifes to the point where we are unbashedly attached to them. My joy is watching for their vehicle to drive up on Sunday morning to church and go out and help unload the Tahoe. I get greeted with "hi grandpa Marlin" loudly from Jackie and Justice and the smiles of Sierra. One of my biggest privileges was to get to carry Sierra into church her on first Sunday there. (yes, I was the proud substitute grandpa that day!) Jackie and Justice have a keen set of eyes for grandma Becky after church, and can spot her from across the foyer. They run full speed to her and give her a big hug. I love watching her face glow as they run to her.

One time Justice told me (extremely sad face) that I was not her real grandpa. I agreed, and then asked if it were ok for me to be a pretend grandpa. The explosion of a smile onto her face gave the positive answer. Jackie likes to press her face against my cheek while we are singing in church. It has encouraged me to try to sing more.

Soon--all too soon, Amanda and family are moving to Illinois. Dick's orders for service have reassigned him. When he returns from the war zone, he will be here for a couple of days, and then journey to reunite with them. This is a great move for their family and we are excited for them. They will be near their real grandpa (Amanda's dad). For us, there will be a hole in our hearts as they leave. We have been privileged to share "family" with them. They have opened their lives to us and blessed us with both acceptance and friendship. We are better people because of them. Our home will always be open to them, no invitation necessary. Somehow, we will stay in touch with them as they build their home and family together. We also committ to pray for them, that the committment Dick and Amanda made when they dedicated their kids to the Lord at church expands and grows.

Somehow I wish there were adequate means to say thank you to Dick and Amanda for sharing their family with us. We have been blessed far more than we dreamed of. They have allowed us to treat their children just like we treat our own grandchildren--and that is good for all of us. As the end of October comes and they fly away, there will be big holes in our hearts. Still, they go with our prayers and blessings.

Several have stated that Becky and I will need to "adopt" another family and love them the same as the Taylor kids. We have talked and considered that idea many times. Our prayer will be that God sends another family into our lives like he did Dick, Amanda, Justice, Jackie, and Sierra. It is a change in the philosophy of our home and our ministry that we like and will pursue. It will be called the Taylor project, in honor of 3 beautiful little girls.

Dick, Amanda, Justice, Jackie, and Sierra, thank you, we love you and appreciate you greatly. Come October, go, with God's richest blessings in your lives!