Who’s family isn’t a Flexible Family  in 2015?  If I were to poll any of the families I know, and I know a few, well, I’d say they’d all fall in to the flexible family category. But… that’s not quite the flexible that we’re speaking about today.  This week Casa de Wiler takes another step in our adoption walk.  We’re meeting with an agency and attending the Flexible Family workshop.  In adoption a flexible family means something else.  A flexible family is a family that is considering the needs of a child that isn’t necessarily the cute little good smelling baby we think of when we think adoption. Maybe… they’re an older child.  Did you know that “older” children are children that reach the ages of 7 and 8?  And here I was worrying about being old at 41? I can’t imagine the heart of a young child the fear and wonder if they’re too old at 7 or 8 and really, that is a real thought! Or wondering if wanting to be kept with a sibling, or two, or three makes your case a hard one — impossible?  These are all of the considerations that children–these children never expected to ever have to make, to ever have to consider.  Truth, they should NEVER have to consider these things. Imagine, being in a sibling set where one is 4, one 6, and one 12.  Right?  That’s a scary place to be.  The only family you have and maybe there is a family somewhere that is so excited to be the new family for your sister, she’s 4 and your brother, he’s 6 — but the thought of  YOU, a 12 year old, a child that may or may not ever call adoptive parents as “mom” and “dad” well, you just don’t figure in to that plan.  I can’t imagine being in that place.  So this week Eric and I are going to learn about flexible families and learn more about the ways our family is ready to consider the ways we can be flexible and the ways we can’t — because this is life and let’s face it, there are ways where we aren’t going to be able to be flexible.  That’s. Just. Life.

So here’s to trying on flexibility in all of the ways that it shows up…I’d like to believe that we’re a flexible family, and as we go through this process, I tend to believe God continues working on this heart of mine, making it more flexible to what is possible in this walk.l