*I may or may not have just had to Google how to spell Nietzsche...and use Wikipedia to verify he was who I thought he was. Just keeping it real over here.
But I love me some Sandra Bullock as Birdie Pruitt (did not have to Google that...that one I know) and in the movie she says:
"Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up. And it will..."So today I find myself at the crossroads between a sad ending and a scary beginning and I just needed to take a moment to sit with it for a while and be grateful for an amazing middle.
Nearly 3 years ago Channing and I made the decision to move back to the Midwest from Dallas after the birth of our baby girl Sayler. We wanted to be closer to our family and give her a close and consistent relationship with her Nana and Papa. We were able to keep our positions with our company and even work from home but we knew that we would need full time child care for Sayler and I was sick over the fact that we had to leave our daycare provider in Dallas whom we adored. So about 6 weeks before we were set to move I started searching for options. If you are a mother you know finding someone to care for your child is like taking your heart out of your body and asking someone to keep it safe all day long. It was so stressful and scary to even think about. But I did my homework and was referred to an in home daycare run by a woman named Dana. I contacted her and we had a phone conversation about what I was needing as far as care for Sayler. During the conversation I felt as though she was interviewing me as much as I was interviewing her. That made me feel good. I liked her. So we set up a time to meet once we were all moved in and settled. Through the course of our conversations we discovered our new home was 2 houses down from her parents new home...how crazy is that? I smelled God at work. We arranged a meeting on a warm June evening and from the moment we walked in the door...I knew she was going to care for my child. And she has every day since...until Monday, when she won't anymore. And I'm sad for the ending. But I am happy for her new beginning.
When she started watching Sayler she looked like this...
Now she looks like this...
Gulp.
This happened...
Sayler Steppin' Out from Stephanie Doss on Vimeo.
And Miss Dana taught her how to pray...
Amen!!! from Stephanie Doss on Vimeo.
And she found a best friend...
Dana was the first person to know about this...
And she watched me grow from this....
To this...
And then Maesyn got to go to Miss Dana's house too. This is what she looked like on her first day...
And now she looks like this...
She found a boyfriend best friend too...
She's helped us celebrate all of these...
And dried a lot of these...
But most of all, we had a lot of these...
Dana - I can never express how grateful I am for the way you have loved my babies. Finding someone to open their arms, and their home and their heart to my girls every day for the last 3 years has been the gift of a lifetime. I can never repay you for the peace of mind you sent me to work with each and every day...knowing that my girls were safe, and protected, and treasured. I hope you know that God brought us together for a reason. I believe that to my core. Our family is forever changed because you are now a part of it. I just wanted to take this moment in time to thank you from the bottom of my heart for a wonderful middle. Now go start a beautiful beginning...
Love you always our Miss Dana,
Channing, Steph, Sayler and Maesyn Doss
