Our Basket

Exactly one year ago we set out on a voyage to give a family to one without. It was a scary adventure, but our constitution and drive were stronger than our fears, and our excitement and enthusiasm covered the uncertainty of the unknown. That's what faith does, and without it we were doomed to never purchase a round trip ticket to China for two with a one-way ticket to the United States for one. How God gave us such faith we can never fully know, and why He gave us faith at all remains a mystery even today.

But our faith runs much deeper than doing the unthinkable. In fact, it beckons us to put all of our eggs in one basket. That basket is the last one most would pick to stock their food while shopping in a grocery store. At first glance it's got broken wheels, holes where food can fall out, a child seat that's bent and uncomfortable, and handles with shattered plastic coverings. Why, it's probably the overflowing one we usually see blocks from the store that's worn and tattered from use by the homeless to truck their belongings from one cold place to another. But that's the basket the homeless use and that's the basket they cling to. That's the only basket they have. It was actually the destiny of the basket from the very beginning.

The only basket we have was also broken. It was bent and a shambles. To be seen with it would be unthinkable..., downright embarrassing. It's the laughing stock of world. But when we first saw it all we could see was a whole cart, completely refurbished with sparkling chrome, perfectly greased wheels and a seat with our name engraved on it. After we put ourselves in that basket, we thought it was full. But after living in it for awhile we realized it had a lot more room in it. Being there by ourselves allowed us to stretch our legs and sleep comfortably, but it wasn't comfort that the basket was given for. It was meant to hold more while the first contents were pushed aside to make room. So we stepped into the corner's edge, knowing all too well that we were going to get smashed, but at least we had peace knowing we were still in the basket. And the surprising thing is that once we made room for more we found out that the first contents were incomplete without the others. And all the while the others were just sitting on the shelf waiting to be made complete themselves, needing a basket in which to reside.

Xiao Qian has changed our lives forever, and we've changed hers forever. She took a leap of faith, but from faith we took the leap. And now we celebrate, with all of us feeling a little crowded, a little uncomfortable at times, and sometimes even a little crushed. But we're all that much more complete, and we're all wanting to the fill the basket until it can be filled no more. It's then, and only then, that the final destination of the cart will rest as intended with its Maker.

Piper at a local Chinese restaurant with Victoria, Tom, Poppy, Willow and Barret on the evening of January 25th, her "Gotcha Day". She intentionally picked out and is wearing the very same sweater she wore that very first day one year ago when she filled our basket.

The origami that Xiao Qian made for Victoria, Tom and herself which, when unfolded, contained the messages to us below.

"Dear Dad, Happy one year with you. Are you so glad you can have me for your daughter? You so smart and funny. So I smart and funny too. Ha! Ha! You so kind to me and love me. Thank you so much for what you did for me. I loved you sooooooo much. I am so happy I can be a part of this family. Love, Piper

"Dear Mom, Happy one year with you. I so happy I can be your daughter. From now I learned many things. I learned to make jewelry and origami. And you taught me how to cook. I enjoy to cook with you. You are best mother! I love you sooooooo much. And thank you for every day to teach my homework. :) Love, Piper

"Happy 'Gotcha Day', Piper. Thank you for making our basket that much more full and that much more complete. We love you,"

Mommy & Daddy

Flowers vs. Trees

As an adjunct to our last post, we find it comical to note the differences between our two little girls. There are clear and obvious distinctives between them, and they couldn't be more duly noted than by looking at the hairdos between their "My Little Pony" ponies.

Can you guess which one belongs to Poppy and which one belongs to Willow?

Loving the differences between flowers and trees,

Why Children Need Mommies

This is why little children needs mommies.

Willow really didn't want me to take this picture, and I suppose I can understand why. She's learning the "art" of self-consciousness and becoming a little more bashful around the camera. Victoria's been tending to the side of our Poppa-licious at a nearby hospital for the last few days while she stabilizes from a very serious viral respiratory condition, so Barret and Willow have been subjected to my clumsy attempts to substitute in her absence (Piper's at a retreat, lucky for her).

Poor little Poppy. (She's doing better now.)

Willow's always been the little more messy one of the two "kid-les". Poppy rarely, if ever, gets food on her face when she's eating, and Willow's got food on and round about her at every meal. Poppy's usually pretty put together with her outfits and Willow puts on whatever is laying around her room. Poppy wants her hair brushed, and Willow probably couldn't care less. Which brings me to the climax of this story. When I brought Willow into the hospital room to see her Mei Mei and Momma, Victoria looked at me after glancing at Willow and her rats-nest hair and said, "Couldn't you have at least put a clip in it or something? Look at her! Daddy's just don't think about these things." Victoria then called Willow over to her and neatly put her back together again.

Yes, Children need mommies, mostly for much deeper reasons, but also for the practical ones.

Thanking God Our Children Have a Mommy (and an exceptional one at that),

The Thing I Love Most In Life

Shortly before Christmas Poppy enthusiastically, but also cautiously, walked up to me and asked me what my favorite thing in the whole world was. Without any hesitation at all I quickly answered, "The Bible". She then smiled at me with a quick, pondering grin and contemplatively walked away. I wasn't quite sure what she was up to, but her query was no doubt purposeful and deliberate. That must have been about a week or so before Christmas Day and I didn't give it much thought after that.

On Christmas morning we all sat around the Christmas tree in our living room, opening presents while cozied-up to a warm fireplace (gas logs, however). We take opening presents slow in our family, sort of a ritual tradition of allowing each person to unwrap one while everyone else focuses on the recipient. After oohing and ah-hing a bit, it's off to the next family member, and so on and so forth. The kids usually give each of us a gift (Victoria & me, that is), and from the little ones it's often something hand-crafted. They're kind of the sweetest gifts of all because they're given without any monetary expense, but no doubt at personal expense in one way, shape, form or another. While all of the older kids spent a little bit of money on me (us), each one of their gifts were also so personal, so special, and so meaningful (in fact, I'll never forget any of them). But when it came time for me to open Poppy's gift, she excitedly pulled it out from under the tree, wrapped with used, crinkly paper and a ton of scotch tape. Just looking at the wrapping job warmed my heart and I knew something special was behind that artful creation. It was heavy for its size, and I couldn't imagine what was inside. After peeling away different corners of multiple layers of tape, I finally got to the paper part and tore a whole in it so I could peer behind the layers of wrapping. I looked at Poppy and said, "What in the world have you got for Daddy?" She smiled with a twinkle in her eye and said, "You never know." Of course, you know, and now I know that it was the thing that I love the most in the world. Yes, it was an old, tattered Bible of Victoria's, one that Poppy found laying around and decided that, when she saw it, she was going to give me the thing that I love most in life. I was a little choked up inside (and so was Victoria) while I hugged Poppy and told her that I couldn't love anything more. She was so proud of herself.

While praying this morning about something I might post about next, this story came immediately to mind. I share it with you because the tenderness of little ones brings us back to the heart of giving. Poppy had nothing to give of her own, but she creatively searched high and low to find on her own the one thing that would mean the most to me. And when she discovered it she found a way to make sure she could satisfy my highest desire. And when I think about what Jesus gave to us, even when we didn't desire it but knowing full, good and well what we needed most, faith to believe in the greatest and most gracious gift of all, Himself, I'm brought to a place where I accept the gift and get all choked up. I didn't entirely know what was behind His gift either, but each day the wrapping paper gets peeled just a little further back and the magnificence of His gift is that much more visible and that much more appreciated.

May we all treasure that which we love most in life, but more importantly may we treasure that which we need most in life.

Post Christmas Reflections,

It's Over, but Not Really

Today is a bit of a jarring day for us Kruggel's. We suppose it's that way for many. All of the anticipation, all of the hoopla, all of the fanfare, all of the excitement, all of the togetherness, all of the laughter, all of the coziness, and all of the family that gathers and gathered around our Holidays are gone. They're over. A very, very early morning rise, drive and drop-off at the airport for Austin & Meagan moments ago poignantly signaled the end of it. And now with sorrowful hearts we all go back to the familiar. For Willow, it's a house with a lot fewer siblings to tickle and throw her over their shoulders, not to mention that her best friend and big sister Poppy heads out for school for 3 and 1/2 hours a day (this morning, she asked her Mommy, "When's Poppy coming home?"). For Poppy, it's back to kindergarten and coming home to fewer voices that will say "Hi, my little Pop-Tart". For Piper, it's heading off to Junior High, pounding through mounds of homework (all in English, mind you) and having fewer of those that care for her most lovingly jab at her English while she lovingly jabs at our dozen or so sorry Mandarin sayings. For Barret, the tenderness of tradition and sentimentality of the season is now a memory, and the pressures of peers, the future and a workload will weigh heavy upon him. For Annie, she now heads into one of her last and most difficult quarters of collegiate studies, constantly thinking of all the requirements while at the same time wondering what her life after college might hold. For Meagan, it's the search for rewarding investments of her Creator crafted gifts and separation from her best of California friends. For Austin, it's the tearing away from family, and also friends, asking God to give him a clear vision for his and Meagan's future. For Victoria, it's the motherly load of physically, but even more so mentally, caring for all her chicks regardless of whether they live in the nest or not. And for Tom, it's the continuation of "bringing home the bacon" and walking through a door at the conclusion of a long day to a quieter household, even though a half dozen seems like a lot but now really isn't.

It all sounds so negative, but really it isn't. Today and its varied emotions are yet another reminder that God fearfully and wonderfully made us. So much so that we need each other and the comforts of family and the familiar, just as our Lord, Jesus and the Spirit have always had the familial of one another. What was it like for God to be separated from His Son, and for Jesus to be separated from His Father while incarnate? In a very real sense they were not apart, but yet in another they were. Why, Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father. You can't get much closer than that. But He wasn't sitting there while walking the earth those 33-plus years. Did He feel back then what we feel today? Did He long to be reunited, never to be separated again? We suspect He did. In fact, the Bible tells us so.

There's something about knowing that the One who loves us most felt what we feel most today, and there's comfort in that. There's also comfort in knowing that it ought not be this way, and that there will be a day when it will be like this no more. So, today, we give thanks for what we had with our children over the last two weeks, and we give thanks for what we feel right now, and we give thanks that we won't always have to feel this way.

Longing to be reunited, once and for all,