This weekend marks five years that Rich's father has lived with us. We considered waiting to adopt until our season of assisting Grandpa was over. Caring for an aging parent in your home is a unique challenge that only those in the trenches can fully understand. Accepting additional responsibility through adoption seemed... let's be honest... risky? Or extreme? Or radical? At the very least - hard. One of my struggles while taking the foster and adoption classes was the long mental list of the sacrifices I've already made for the sake of elderly care. "Surely God, you don't expect me to take in a child when I'm already giving so much?"

The ambulance man in the white shirt asked me to promise one thing as we entered the emergency room garage - that I not take the baby home again until the nursing agency found a new night nurse. I promised. Then back doors opened and hospital fluorescent flooded what had become a calm space.

A mom steps timidly forward.

A protective older brother watches cautiously.

A baby looks for reassurance.

A mom stands courageously to the side.

And the photographer positions the moment I met my son in a larger story:

his foster family loved him well.

We met Nathaniel on July 3, 2013.

We are meeting Nathaniel today.

Nathaniel Steven Rankin

It seems we've always had to cope with our children being away from home on Christmas.

Rich spotted it first.  An empty bird's nest nestled in the branches. We paused. Admired. Took a photo. Considered the tree. But moved on, leaving the nest for whoever claimed the tree.

I went to court for the first time in my life yesterday. And it about did me in.