Monday, August 3, 2009

Conversations around the Dinner Table...

A picture James took back at the orphanage...

Tonight, I thought I'd share some of the things we talked about around the dinner table this evening. First of all, it was a busy day of women's ministry meetings. The kids did well running around the rest of the house while we met in our dining room for almost 2 hours over lunch. We are looking forward to hosting Jan Silvious on August 15th. If you're in the area, we'd LOVE to have you join us! Meanwhile, I am looking forward to being a part of the musical worship team... it will be good for my soul.
This evening, when I returned from our Women on Mission leadership meeting, I threw together an easy meal of soup and bread for dinner. This of course conjured up memories from Ukraine for all of us. Here are some tidbits of what I listened to with tears this evening...

* One of my girls stated that she would not try to gag herself at the table, because it is not a good thing to do. She explained how they used to do that in Ukraine and has since tried it twice here... "Mama, Nilzah." (Not allowed)

* When I asked if they liked the soup, one responded (thru the slurps), "Yes!" Then, the other three led by their bigger brother, began to say, "I love borscht!" They licked their lips with giant smiles while rubbing their bellies. [I have a recipe I've GOT to work up sometime - thanks, Hilda!]

* My son then began to say how he loved Ukrainian bread and asked, "Mama, like Ukrainian bread too, dah?!" He proceeded to use a lot of charades mixed with Russian and English to say we could fly to Ukraine, eat some bread and borscht, then fly back to Mississippi... to which, one of my daughters replied, "No Ukraine. Bye-bye Ukraine."

* The conversation shifted somehow to the topic of babies. All my girls said, basically, that they want me to have a baby... They want to hold the baby. Um, so we'll just have to see about that - ha ha.

* James began to share how he remembered waiting for his mama in Ukraine to come home from the hospital each time she had one of his sisters. He said he remembered holding his sisters when they were babies. They all giggled around the table at the thought. Then came his new phrase, " I like that."

Precious memories. I can't imagine what they have been through. What a healthy thing it is to hear them reminisce amongst each other about such treasures from their former life. These are precious memories to store away for them and for me...

I'm reminded of Mother Teresa's quote:
"How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers."

4 comments:

Mike and Gail said...

Beautiful moments like that make a mama's heart melt. Love it. Welcome to being a mom. Enjoy they grow so fast. TO FAST!
Blessings to you and the family.

Kacee Yearwood said...

This blog touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes..oh how it makes my heart ache not to know what Will went through in the orphanage..as I sure you are the same way. I so wish that I could erase the bad parts of his life when he was there. Will was only 2 when we got him so he is unable to tell us anything, but weighing only 18 lbs at 2 is very telling. It really hits me hard now b/c Madeline weighs that now at 8 months. I pray so much for Will's healing from that time of his life.
That is so cute about the borscht. Please share the recipe! I LOVE borscht with some sour cream...yumm! I made some from a recipe I found online for the promise139 kids that got sick and Nicholas Morton approved of it :)! Anyway, Will LOVES oatmeal..it is very similar to what he ate in the orphanage in Russia. I think he could eat it for every meal! He calls it his "um-um" :) so cute!!!
Have you tried pumpernickel bread. I hear it is very similar to Russian black bread, if that is what they like.
Will goes to meet the teacher tomorrow, also! He will be in the preschool class at OGP! Great school! Kacee

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing such a sweet experience from the heart....tears are flowing...God Bless those precous "flowers" and my precious daughter and her beloved husband...you bless us so much ...thank you, Lord! Babuska M.

Conethia and Jim Bob said...

Just wanted to thank you for your strong encouragement. I know I shouldn't worry about such things, but it is hard. I think about the kids. I don't want them to be left behind, especially since we are having trouble finding them translators for school. I worry that they may not be ready to jump in to 2 and 3rd grades. Ah! God has provided us with more than we ever thought possible. The love and attachment is there for us as a newly adoptive family and I can't praise God enough for his works. Wishing you guys the absolute best in starting school. I hope your kiddos do well and don't start that crying for moma as they have to go to class. That is the moment my heart dropped. I cried on the way to work. Of course they were fine. Their anxieties just got the better of them. Sigh!