Memorial Stones and Flourishing
“When the fullness of time had come, God….”
Galatians 4:4 (NIV)
Today’s post was supposed to be about Easter and The Great Reversal, but those thoughts will have to wait for another day. If you’ve been reading Bible Bits for very long, you know how much of this space and my heart are devoted to James Bruce and our lives as special needs parents. Bruce and I have been diligently pursuing his residential placement for the last two years. James Bruce is now 37 years old and we are not getting any younger. After reviewing potential options, Bruce and I both agreed that Rainbow Omega, a Christian group home for adults with intellectual disabilities, would be our best possible solution. We began JB’s application process in April 2019.
Once all of our paperwork was submitted, our waiting began. Both the summer and fall of 2019 came and went with no word on whether or not James Bruce was even being considered for a RO placement. Our entire family was praying that God would make a way for James Bruce when there didn’t seem to be a way. What were JB’s chances in a pool of fifty applicants and only two slots?
We finally received a call in December 2019 that James Bruce could move into Rainbow Omega beginning February 2020. Our entire family was thrilled, but we were still praying that if this decision wasn’t the right place or right time, God would stop it. Let me just confess that when I prayed that prayer, I never really thought God would! But wet winter weather, a construction delay, and the 2020 Covid pandemic indeed stopped everything, including James Bruce’s Birmingham day services program.
Bruce and I were left with a year of 24/7 caregiving at home with no guarantee that any special needs programs, day or residential, would open up until the pandemic ended. The Covid vaccines were game changers for us. After our vaccines we had one other month’s delay, but James Bruce was finally assigned a March 4, 2021 move in date.
I’ve written before how emotionally hard that first week of his move was for both his Dad and me. (You can read that here.) Grief, angst, worry, uncertainty are some of the words that best describe our minds and hearts. The second week was much easier, but still nerve wracking, with a couple of calls about some behavior issues. Initially I asked people to pray for JB to “adjust.” Over the next two weeks I changed our request to, “Please ask God to help him flourish.” The word “flourish” means to thrive; prosper; or grow well. I confess again, I never expected God to actually answer our flourish prayer and would have easily settled for “adjust.”
On a quick trip to the beach, I went to pick up some fresh seafood and came across a sign on County Road 10 that read, “Flourish.” That sign might as well have been a burning bush in the middle of a desert. It was truly a holy ground moment. God met me where I was assuring me that He is listening to our prayers.
Fast forward to last Thursday when Bruce and I met with the Rainbow Omega staff for an assessment of James Bruce’s first four weeks. The staff was very kind and thorough, presenting both their findings and recommendations for this year. For his part, James Bruce was very quiet and looked surprised to see us. To our delight, we were allowed to bring James Bruce home for two days.
His first day at home, James Bruce was unusually quiet. He didn’t play his beloved music and movies. Bruce took him to visit his grandmother, sister, and nieces. Nine year-old Julia said seeing James Bruce was the highlight of her week! We fixed some of his favorite foods and his older brother Robert came by for an early Saturday morning visit. We kept asking him questions about his house, work, and friends at Rainbow Omega, but he only responded with a few names: “Casey, Mark, and Daniel.”
Saturday afternoon on the return drive from Birmingham to Eastaboga, Bruce and I weren’t sure what to expect when it was time for us to leave, but I shouldn’t have worried. After about 15 minutes of showing his new room to his Dad, James Bruce simply said, “Bye!” and went about talking excitedly with his new housemates, two of whom were indeed named Casey and Mark.
James Bruce’s Rainbow Omega placement and one word “Bye!” is now a memorial stone event in our Evans’ Family history. A memorial stone event occurs when:
We face a seemingly impossible situation
God delivers in a miraculous way
We get the victory
God gets the glory
The result: Our Story for God’s Glory!
Memorial stones are tools to help us remember Who God is and what He has done in our lives.
We have no guarantee that James Bruce will flourish long term at Rainbow Omega, but we are so grateful for this opportunity. We are also so thankful for each of you who have prayed with and for us. Driving home Saturday, Bruce and I talked about God’s grace and His perfect timing. The Apostle Paul’s words, “When the time had fully come, God…” (Galatians 4:4) took on fresh meaning as we prepared to celebrate Easter, Christ’s resurrection, and the God of Great Reversal.