As I drifted off to sleep, I was instantly transported back to the Edelman’s Children’s Court. It jolted me awake. I was immediately hit with a flood of all the stressful, anxious, and joyful moments that come with fostering children.
I looked at my watch to see the time, but it was the date that stood out more.
The first week of April holds a lot of symbolic importance, and with getting ready for the trip, this just sort of slipped my mind.
The day we come back. April 25th is important because it’s the five-year anniversary of the dramatic moment that ended the last chapter. I planned the return specifically for that purpose.
But I neglected the significant start of the trip. April 8th.
April 8, 2017 was the Gotcha Day for Mini D… that amazing, beautiful boy that was supposed to stay forever, but left in the back of a car one year later. I didn’t plan to leave that day, but glad it worked out that way.
However, April 1st (which flew past me) is also symbolic. Seven years ago was the Gotcha Day for Oscar, the who one who makes this trip the way it is, who makes my art the way it is… and who makes my life the way it is.
Usually I spot him a little cash on that day, but this year I’m throwing thousands of pounds his way (which is a TON of money!)*
This trip carries with it all the distant echoes of people long gone. Fading away like yesterday’s dream. Mini D, wherever he is, is nine years old now. Even the cuddly little ten-year-old that Oscar was, is gone. This 6’1” monster of a young man is the one getting on the plane.
And while I miss all those memories, I’m just so excited to be making new ones.
This journey is not just outward, it’s inward. There’s been so many changes these last five years and I expect the next five years to change in big ways.
But for now, let’s hang in the balance of the present moment.
It’s time to wake up and go boldly forward.
This isn’t just a dream anymore. It’s a destination.
This story to be continued.
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* See what I did there? Bad dad joke. Never mind. Carry on.