Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: WEEKEND AWAY (short vacation) (07/23/15)
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TITLE: Finding a Boy in the Middle of Nowhere | Previous Challenge Entry
By Amanda Septer
07/30/15 -
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The joy radiating from his small body was infectious.
“That’s awesome buddy!” I called back.
Brandon clumsily made his way around the bank with his prize. He watched every movement I made as I unhooked his fish and re-baited his hook.
“I just love this place.” He shouted, as he turned and headed back to his fishing spot.
My heart swelled. I watched as he carefully cast his line and waited patiently for his next catch. I shook my head at the change that had come so quickly. It was Brandon’s first vacation, if you want to call it that. In actuality it was a long weekend, only four days, but to him it was everything.
Brandon was placed with us through the foster care system. For four months I’ve watched him stoically endure every blow that has been hurled at him. Every broken promise is met with an unreadable expression and a small nod. Every changed plan was not met with a complaint, as you might expect from a six year old, but with silence. No matter how well they tried to spin bad news, the knowing look in his dark eyes told us he wasn’t fooled. I hadn’t been sure how our serious little man would do in Middle of Nowhere, Arkansas.
Everything was new for him. Everything was exciting. His worn spirit took such pride in gathering wood for the woodstove. When our hike took us past a tree so crooked it seemed to defy gravity, his self-contained thoughts burst through to wonder at God’s creativity. He let go of fear to delight in the red-brown mud as he splashed through the creek. His cautious excitement was replaced by a laugh that echoed off the Boston Mountains that surrounded us. He fed the geese and caught frogs. He learned how to do a cannon ball off the dock, and fell into bed at night, exhausted from all his little boy adventures.
My last hike of the weekend ends on top of the hill overlooking the pond. The setting sun paints a masterpiece on the face of the water. Tomorrow we head home.
“Thank you Lord for this weekend away. Thank you for the trust that is starting to be built between Brandon and us. Give us wisdom Lord. Help us to care for and protect him in the days and weeks to come. Thank you for bringing us to these sacred acres in the middle of nowhere. Most importantly thank you for introducing us the boy you knew was inside our little man.“
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-Non-Fiction (names changed)
-About a year after after the weekend of this story we adopted 'Brandon'. It has been a blessing to watch him grow.
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God bless~
I loved this!
God bless~