Willothewisp

What a summer!

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Tomorrow (Saturday) our expanded family will return home after a lovely, long summer spent at our house on the coast. Our two eldest children will be starting a new term at school, and I will be returning to duty as my maternity leave comes to a close and so this amazing summer draws down into autumn.

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The summer started with me being heavily pregnant. I was big, round and full of our little daughter and able to just enjoy being, as they say, “With child”, and enjoy it I certainly did, I loved being pregnant. I loved how my wife’s family care for mothers and for the pregnant in particular, they see every pregnancy as a blessing and a celebration no mater the circumstances. Someone called me each day without fail to check I was alright, they all rally around and genuinely care. I was astounded and delighted by the changes to my body, even though I am a midwife myself and have seen it so many times in others to feel it myself was beautiful. The way the children took an interest in the pregnancy and wanted to enjoy it along with me made me so happy, the fact that they wanted a sister a much as we wanted another daughter was affirmation for me after growing up with parents who saw children as an obstruction and nuisance to the good conduct of their own selfish lives. With Judith I was able to be myself, and as myself we were able to enjoy my glorious surge in love, daily and often several times daily.

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I even enjoyed the birth, yes that is what I said, “enjoyed”. It was incredible, profound, and absolutely everything I hoped it to be. I never felt so much like I had achieved something as much as I did in the first few moments in our living room when Judith placed Mariaske fresh from my body onto my breast.

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Then there have been all the other major events this summer, such as people finding their voices. Our dear friend Nova found her voice and spoke out about the years of terrible abuse she endured as a child. She wrote about her journey and then honored us by giving us her story to publish to our “Violence” site. Her story has been cathartic in helping others in our women’s group find their voices as well. Our son found his voice and in the last two years has gone from deaf and mute to speaking. It has taken a lot of work, and more than a little heartache but seeing the utter relief on Judith’s face alone made it all worthwhile.

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Oli, the young girl from the Congo who we have sponsored here in the Netherlands for the last fours years reached eighteen. She is the pride and joy of her foster parents and is now out on her own, soon to be a Dutch Citizen and already working for the European Union despite being blind and largely deaf. She is a very brave young woman now really coming into her own.

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Judith’s parents last foster child, Jan, leaves home to start a career with the Koninklijke Marine and in doing so they will end over forty years of adoption and fostering. Their decision is well timed as we all start to make calls on their time in their role as grandparents. My sister in-law Carol announced her first pregnancy this summer shortly after the birth of Mariaske, she is going to make a fine mother, and is already a brilliant and much loved Aunt to our children.

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This summer has been a long slow introduction to our new daughter amongst the beauty of the Waddenzee and a seven week play date with our children. We have sailed, swum, hiked, flown kites, and explored. There have been children’s parties, beach bonfires, and grown up dinners, but now we must return to the world and deal with the challenges that await us

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So it has been quite a summer………….our Waddenzee Zommer

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Download: a ‘Waddenzee’ desktop wallpaper 25 photos on a 1280×1024 sheet

Read More: The Netherlands

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Author: Nina van der Roos