Answer to prayer

Yesterday I saw again my friend Janet for whom we have prayed for years. A year after she and her husband were married she discovered she had breast cancer. That was a long and scary ride for her but she lived and carried on. She and her husband prayed for a child and we prayed with them every day we could remember to. We prayed for other families who remained childless. Jesus answered all of those prayers. For a long time it was no and then for some they had wonderful surprises, which were not a surprise to Jesus in the form of children born to them and also families with wonderful surprises of answer to prayer in adoptions too for which we rejoiced with them all and thanked Jesus for His gift of children to them. Janet and Todd were still watching and waiting and doing their best to be patient.

One day, not too long ago, I heard that Janet and her husband were in the process of adopting. Happy day! I knew it was going to be in January. Talking to a mutual friend, close to the day of their adoption, I discovered to my horror, everyone's horror, that the day Janet went to get the crib she went to the oncologist and cancer had returned. She was not given a great prognosis. They would have to tell the birth parents. Keep praying... We prayed, everyone prayed, and... the answer was yes! The birth parents proceeded with their adopting their little baby boy.

So, I saw Janet and her husband and their little guy Stephen. He is about fifteen months now. At some point in the evening, his dad was holding him and another friend who hadn't seen Todd in a long time asked whose little guy he was holding. Todd, standing a bit taller, say, "This is MY son." Answer to prayer...

A little later Stephen decided to get a bit jealous of our little guy Evan and um...Evan's arm must have appeared a bit like a chicken leg to the small boy and on came a bite. Janet scrambled to get Stephen and apologized profusely. The thought quickly came to me and I smiled and looked at her and said, "Janet, I am just thankful you have a little someone to be embarrassed about!" Funny how I never would have thought that I would be thankful to Jesus for my son getting bit by a toddler. Answers to prayer are pretty amazing. Spending the evening with friends who have suffered many sorrows but yet we were all laughing our heads off, is just another answer to prayer in so many ways.

Janet does not share with us how she is doing as she is reveling in her little boy with her husband. We are going to get together to go garage sailing in a few weeks. She wants to look for clothes for Stephen. I'll be there with bells on, even though I will be highly selective in my own purchases! No excess stuff ya' know!