restoration

I am weary.

My back aches.  My spirit sags.  I am utterly exhausted. 

No, I haven't gotten our adopted child yet.  So, no...not experiencing those kinds of weariness...yet.

I helped my youngest son rip out his carpet in his living room.  He has purchased his house (at the tender age of 20) and wants to have the old hardwood restored to it's natural glory.  So, being the mom that I am, I go help.

What possessed me to do this?  :o)

Ripping out the carpet consisted of not only pulling up the old carpet and pad, but then finding a layer of linoleum under that, that was glued down something fierce, and then a particle board layer. All of which was nailed a BILLION times more than necessary!

We spent the entire day trying desperately to get the cats paw under all the junk and force up sections.  Of course the particle board just crumbled. We forged on, banging the crow bar in, yanking, pulling, and sweating like little piglets.

Now it lay before us.  Clear Vertical Grain Fir Flooring, straight from the early 1900's.  I can see the potential lying before us...can my son? The top layer needs work STILL.  It needs to have old remnants of paint taken off, all the staples pulled and any nails left pulled as well.  It needs the holes all filled, and the entire floor sanded.  Then, and only then, can we apply the new stain and finish...buffing the shine out into the tired old floor.

Iv'e done it before, so I know it can be done.  It's alot of work, and back breaking work too.  The end result will justify all the labor. It's a great lesson for my son to learn.  Sometimes a thing of beauty requires a heck of a lot of work to make it shine! Especially if it has been neglected and abused all of it's life.

Much like the foster kids.  There may be many, many layers we have to uncover over time.  Some of it will test our patience to the limit.  Some will require brute strength to make it through the day. 

We have to be able to see the potential, lying there, beneath the ruined shell.  The broken child. Underneath it all, in the core of their being, they hold the tiny flame of hope. Some of what we see won't be pretty. Alot will shock us. Most will change us. 

Be patient.  Continue working on the layers, bit by bit.  Once all the filth and garbage is removed, you will see them.  The true child within. The one that desperately wants out.  The one that needs us to lovingly help them discard their pain and baggage, or at least put in the proper place.  You can't change the past, and what was done to damage the child.  You can help them shine again.

So, into the hot tub for a little R & R.  Sleep, rest, and restore. Plug in the battery re-charger. Then start again anew tomorrow.

restoration.