Please pray ...

... for my heart today. For the heart of my boys. For Veronica's heart. Today is a hard day. Today we say good bye to Veronica. She lived in our home for nearly a year. She travelled with me to Germany to have my daughter. She watched my boys when we vacationed in Spain. She dog sat. She changed diapers. She wiped bottoms. She made lunches. She packed diaper bags. She put kids to bed. She disciplined. She watched movies. She played cars and puzzles. She colored. She threw a Frisbee. She took trips with us. She wore Abigail in a Moby. She rolled play dough. She made cookies.

She sanded a table.

Okay, so that never got done. Just a little inside joke there.

While she did all those things and losing all those things will be hard, what I grieve most is losing my friend. I talk to Veronica every day. She has been there for me during a very difficult year. Living away from family. Going into early labor. Storknesting in Germany. A sprained ankle. Three kids under three.

She is my kid sister. (I won't say daughter. I'm not that old yet.) I love her. She is part of our family. She fits us so perfectly. How can she not be here tomorrow when I wake up?

How do you say good bye? How do I say good bye? How do I teach my boys to say good bye? What do I tell them when they ask why Veronica's room is empty (and subsequently, clean?)

How do you make them understand that their Er-onica will no longer live in our house.

Veronica made the decision to allow Patty to drive her to the airport today. To say good bye to us at the house instead. To not have us see her off at the airport. She didn't think she could handle it.

I don't think I can either.

Today is bittersweet. Veronica had to leave sometime. This wasn't forever. It was a good fit for us. It was a good fit for her. For a time. For a year. We knew it would come to an end. She is moving on to bigger things. She is going home to Minnesota for a few months and then going to Nigeria on a three month mission trip. The Lord has great plans for her life.

I'm happy for her.

But sad for me. Sad for my boys. For my dog. And for my little girl who had so nestled herself into the very deep parts of Veronica's heart.

I love you Veronica. You will always have a place in our home and our hearts.