Five Years of Fresh Air

2006 was the first year that A came from NYC to spend time with us. That was a year before I went digital, so I don't have a pic to upload. We took him up on Skyline Drive (he called it "the big hill"), the guys hiked to the top of the Massenutten Peak and we did all kinds of other fun stuff near home.

2007 was A's second year with us. This year he brought us the I (heart) NY T-shirts. That made for a fun photo opportunity! In 07, we took him to Pump It Up, across the mountain to West Virginia for a family reunion, to the county fair and to a Fresh Air Fund picnic on a farm.

In 2008, A arrived and we hit the ground running. We took him to my granddad's farm for a birthday party and he enjoyed riding horses and playing in a pool and slip and slide with all the cousins. He went with the flow, as always, and joined us for a wedding rehearsal, then spent the next day with dear friends of ours while we went to the wedding. The guys pitched a tent in the yard and camped out several nights.

2009 was A's fourth year of coming to visit. It was a difficult year for our family, as B was sick for over seven months. We had a lot of quiet days at home, but A just went with it. I appreciate that so much! He doesn't expect to be entertained 24/7. He enjoyed going to work with D and the guys continued their side yard camping tradition...

2010...Year five! Wow! When A got off the FAF bus, I was amazed. He has grown so much since last summer. I said, "I didn't know they let MEN get on that bus!" His new passion is football and he tried to stay in shape while he was here and motivated my boys to do their push ups and sits ups each day. D has been working two jobs for many months, so that cut back on the adventure times. Also, A needed to be home early to take a test for school, so that shortened his stay by about four days. We made the most of it. He enjoyed playing video games with the boys, board games, baseball in the park, fishing and swimming in a near by river. He went to church with us on Sunday and out to eat for lunch. On Tuesday morning, bright and early, we packed up and headed north. A "escorted" us into NYC, and we met his mom at the FAF office. They joined us for a trek on the Staten Island Ferry. What an adventure!

We are so blessed to have a relationship with A and our hope is that he will be able to visit us each summer until he turns 18. The FAF program ends at age 18, but we hope he will continue to stay in touch with us and feel welcome in our home anytime!

God, bless this young man. Walk with Him, talk with Him, keep him close to Your heart. As he grows into a man, I pray that You will show Him Your presence and peace and prepare him to be the one You've created him to be. Thank You for giving us a chance to have him in our home. He watches our journey and I pray that he will see us getting closer to You each time he returns...