Thursday, June 07, 2012

Praying for a Trevor or Three

Wow. It's been 13 years ago now since we moved from Belgrade, a very small town in MN, to Luverne, where we lived for seven years. Kyle was between seventh and eighth grade and had only lived with us for about a year and a half. He had moved way too often in his young life and he wasn't exactly thrilled.

But in Luverne, in the background, as we were getting ready to move there was a mom of a seventh grader who had moved with her parents, and very reluctantly, at 15 years old, so she knew exactly what it was like. And she was determined that Kyle was going to have a good transition. Before she even met us, she had nearly commanded her son Trevor to be Kyle's friend.

And so, reluctantly at first I'm sure, Trevor obeyed his mama and befriended Kyle. Turns out he actually liked my son, and they formed a friendship that lasted through high school and our families are still in touch today. Both of the boys are married now, have finished college (Trevor even further than that) and have moved to different parts of the country, but we still credit Trevor and his pushy mom for making Luverne a place Kyle grew to love and call home. This is an Iphoto photo of his senior picture.



Right now Sadie and Tony are struggling with their transitions. Job Corp isn't a place for wimps -- there are high expectations and they are being pushed way harder than they anticipated. Sadie is trying hard to be positive and has made a couple friends, but she gets to see us nearly weekly. Tony is especially homesick because he is five hours away. He texts me every night to tell me he loves me, sometimes more than once, before he goes to bed. This is something he hasn't done for years. It makes me a little teary eyed. I remember days when he was this little and would hug me and tell me he loved me and I miss that little boy.



Leon is anticipating a move and really can't find a single good thing about the entire Twin Cities. He is worried he will be bullied because he is not very big and he is also reluctant to bother to make friends since he's only got one year and then he may go off to college somewhere.

SO for the last several weeks I've been praying for a Trevor or two or three. Preferably a female version for Sadie. Someone who can come along and be a friend to each of my kids as they transition.

Today Jimmy is going to his Job Corp orientation as well, as he had so much to say about how he wouldn't be homesick that we told him he should sign up. He took us up on the offer.

I know that we have been fairly easy on Tony and Sadie -- they came at the end of a long group of tiring kids so we haven't held their feet to the fire very often. And now they have jumped into a hard life. But a friend -- one good one -- would make all the difference in the world.

And when we move Leon immediately needs someone to hang out with who he will think is "cool" and will enjoy. And that isn't easy.

So in my list of miracles (we've had so many already we may not be allowed to ask for many more) we're praying for a Trevor or three..

and a place to live for Mike. But that's a whole new blot post and I have a doctor's appointment....

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