This past weekend, we were able to enjoy Anne for her first weekend pass! The weekend went by so very quickly, but we had a blast all weekend long!
We started by going to pick her up on Saturday. Then we quickly got ready to go get our long overdue family pictures done. After spending some time with family, we headed back home. That evening, Anne and Skeeter went to see a movie together and then hung out with some friends afterwards.
Sunday, Anne was pretty nervous, but excited to be back at church. She has really missed her church family and friends. Sunday afternoon, was spent catching up with some good friends. Then she and I enjoyed a movie together, until she fell asleep. :)
Monday, we went shopping to get her some new clothes and then Anne was able to meet with a teacher from school who has been so very supportive of her. Then after lunch, we headed out to take her back "home".
While here, Anne asked us a couple of tough questions of which we couldn't give her a definitive answer. I told her that this is all new to us, so we will need to be in touch with the staff at the home and see what their experiences have taught them. One of the questions she asked was when she would get to come back home. She is so ready to come back! She so badly wants to be able to go to her school next year in the fall. We were told the average time in the home was 12-18 months. Will Anne progress more quickly and be able to come home sooner? We don't know! We do know that Anne is doing remarkably well! Although she is doing well, we don't want to bring her home after the healing has just started taking place. We want her to have a complete change of mindset and have some solid coping strategies in place. Anne knows that we have the authority to pull her out at anytime, as we do not have a set time "contract" in place. We do know that she will for sure be there through the end of the school year and likely the summer. After that I guess will be determined by how the Lord leads.
This week is their spring break, so next week, I'll probably touch base with the staff there and see if I can get any insight from them as to when Anne might realistically be able to come back home. Please be in prayer for us as we seek the Lord's perfect timing in all of this! Although we miss her terribly and feel like a piece is missing from our homes and hearts, we want to make sure the healing is taking place as it should. I must admit that having her here for the weekend made it much more difficult to say good bye than when we just have her for a day pass. However, I am hoping for another weekend pass for Easter! :)
As for us at home....I have mentioned in the past, that Adia and Jonathan have really been struggling with having Anne gone. As a result, their attitudes and behaviors have changed quite a bit for us here at home. Their school teachers have been able to notice as well. After talking with one of their school teachers, I started to explore the idea of getting both of them into counseling, especially one that would do play therapy. I contacted one of the local Christian therapists who I had been in contact with since I had been getting advice for Anne, and she was able to work them in right away. So, we have already had one session, and will have this be a regular activity for them to help them learn to work through their emotions in a healthy way. This will also be helpful for me, as I learn how to better help them cope, etc. There will likely be some family sessions in the future as well. It was amazing to me to see how much the kids "showed" through their playing and how much more they were willing to talk while they played.
All of us struggling through this has just been a reminder for me that even though I might sin in "private" it is going to affect everyone around me in some way or another. Sin not only hurts the one committing it, but also the ones we love and care about.
Thank you to all of you who have continued to pray and support us on this difficult journey!
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