A Chance of a Lifetime

A year ago, I received an email from my daughter's K-12 school asking for host families for several foreign students.  I took a look at the list and a female student jumped out at me.  Funny enough, Jon was thinking the same thing and the same person jumped out at him.  We decided to inquire and so goes the story of adding a teenage girl from Germany into not only our home but into our lives and hearts.

Several people thought we were nuts to allow a teenager to stay with us, in fact a couple of people said "I could never let a strange person come into my home and spend a year in my house - and a teenager?  You are begging for trouble."

I am here to say that the last 10 months of my life have been a wonderful chance of a lifetime.  Not only am I grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the German culture, but I have had the wonderful opportunity and pleasure to get to know a young lady, see her grow-up in 10 months time and to be her sarogate/host mom and friend.

Despite the 'can't believe you'd bring a teenager into your home' remarks, I am so glad I did!  I absolutely loved having the opportunity to see the teenage side of life in the eyes of today's teenager.  I was given a golden opportunity to test parent a teenage girl, so I won't be ill prepared for the day my daughter (and my son too) is a teenager.

Yes, we got lucky, that our German daughter was a good person through and through.  That she became immersed into our family and embraced becoming a member of our family.  I can't wait to meet her family in the coming week, to tell them face to face what an awesome daughter and sister they have and to thank them from the bottom of my heart that they allowed us to be able to have her with us for 10 months.

Her presence in our home will surely be missed!  We likely will cry buckets of tears upon her departure.  However, she will always hold a place in my heart (and Jon and the kids hearts too).

We know that June 10th isn't goodbye .... I have my passport so we will see each other again!

Thank you Zarah for agreeing to live with us!  Thank you for your friendship!  I love you! Big big hugs!