tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396732244209548586.post9073452139252139598..comments2023-07-20T10:20:46.037-05:00Comments on A Nerd and A Free Spirit: What I Learned About LoveA Nerd and A Free Spirithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05143765099100795398noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396732244209548586.post-4503941736075010862012-06-03T09:00:14.832-05:002012-06-03T09:00:14.832-05:00Wonderful post, Kathryn. I fully understand, you ...Wonderful post, Kathryn. I fully understand, you two are great parents and Karlie is easy to love! She is my granddaughter and our family is truly blessed! It has been an amazing journey and I have seen a beautiful picture of Christ's love through it. Only God can receive credit for such a melting of hearts. Love you!Momnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396732244209548586.post-34583636301889775502012-06-03T01:18:33.483-05:002012-06-03T01:18:33.483-05:00I really enjoy reading this blog. It touched my he...I really enjoy reading this blog. It touched my heart today just as it often does. I know the feeling. I have had children in my care that I loved deeply as well. God puts people where He needs them for people who need to see His love through others.Shalahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08103578707909952311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396732244209548586.post-53455155523210671732012-05-30T10:33:40.271-05:002012-05-30T10:33:40.271-05:00I love this. I think God places people in our life...I love this. I think God places people in our life that we need or that need us. (or both!!) And the fact that you guys have opened up your home and your hearts is amazing and wonderful. I think it is so easy for people to judge others whether it's in regards to their style, their parenting, the way they manage their money, how they handle prosperity or adversity...the list goes on and on. It's easier to take a hard look at someone else's life than it is to examine our own. What I would say is to follow your heart. God is urging you in a direction that only you and your husband are privileged to know. He is speaking to you and moving you to a certain way and you will be blessed. XOAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07325463194368321895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396732244209548586.post-31053017408498380562012-05-27T14:07:22.694-05:002012-05-27T14:07:22.694-05:00Love the thoughts in this post. It's true, &qu...Love the thoughts in this post. It's true, "family" transcends sharing DNA, or even amounts of time. I don't know much about Karlie's background but it sounds like she needed some "parents" who loved her and needed a picture of a godly marriage...and I think you're amazing for being willing and eager to be that for her.Tracyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17349246197379841614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396732244209548586.post-59453043431306884992012-05-25T12:53:20.833-05:002012-05-25T12:53:20.833-05:00I'll be honest and say that, at first, I didn&...I'll be honest and say that, at first, I didn't understand your and Mark's relationship with Karlie. But what I quickly learned was that it didn't matter what I did or did not understand, because it was quite obvious that it was a "God thing". You guys needed her, and she needed you, and that was all that mattered. <br /><br />You are also very correct in your answer to the question "what is a family?". Over the past few years, I've learned that your family extends beyond the people with whom you share blood. It's who you love. I have a relationship with a woman who is my mother's age, and she could easily be my surrogate mother or sister. We're not kin, but other than Kyle, she has been the "family" I needed while my parents go through their divorce. <br /><br />It may not be typical or even ideal, but your family is very special and I'm so glad that you found each other when you did.Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04907997893915434776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396732244209548586.post-47309937251643405332012-05-25T09:33:59.763-05:002012-05-25T09:33:59.763-05:00Kathryn, I think this is beautiful! I am so glad ...Kathryn, I think this is beautiful! I am so glad Katie was able to encourage you. This reminded me of a character in C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce - have you read it? She's in heaven, and she's surrounded by people. <br /><br />Someone asks, "Who are all these young men and women by her side?" <br />"They are her sons and daughters."<br />"She must have had a very large family, Sir."<br />"Every young man or boy that met her became her son - even if it was only the boy that brought the meat to her back door. Every girl that met her was her daughter."<br /><br />This woman obviously didn't hold back her love from any child she met, let alone a girl she had taken into her home. I know this is fictional, but I've always admired this character and feel that's what God would have of us.Daynanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396732244209548586.post-464751886863184842012-05-25T01:52:18.265-05:002012-05-25T01:52:18.265-05:00One question I have had from early on when you ann...One question I have had from early on when you announced via your blog that Karlie was apart of your family was how you handled this decision financially. This might be a bit personal, and you certainly don't have to answer, but were you financially prepared for supporting a college-student so early on in your marriage? I think having a baby is intimidating enough, but at least you have 18 years to save for one of the most expensive adventures of their lives! <br /><br />I think what you are doing for Karlie, the loving and obviously blessed home you have provided without a second thought, is an incredibly precious gift. I'm sure, given the way you describe Karlie, she is fully aware of how lucky she is to be your "adopted" daughter. I'm also sure, given the way you talk about this experience, that she has probably blessed you as much as you are blessing her through your actions and selflessness. <br /><br />I was a nanny, as well, for a year to two young children. I actually had to leave that position because of my differences of opinions with their parents (not enough discipline). They were total pills, but I loved them very much. I didn't realize how much I loved them, until I realized I felt responsible for them. Not just their physical well-being, but for who they were going to be one day. The biggest struggle I had in quitting was leaving my unfinished work behind: I had to weigh if my needing to leave for personal sanity was greater than the good I could do if I forced myself to stay. It was very hard and I still think about them often and wonder who they are growing up to be. Love is an investment. You can love anyone like family if you make them your responsibility. God obviously gave you and Mark this important responsibility. And you accepted it.<br /><br />You are doing an honorable thing with a heart full of love, and though it is a bit unusual, don't question that it is the right thing to do.Laurelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396732244209548586.post-48546615586510821762012-05-25T01:30:37.201-05:002012-05-25T01:30:37.201-05:00Amen! Love doesn't hold back. Love gives. God&...Amen! Love doesn't hold back. Love gives. God's love is the greatest agent of change. It beautifies our lives.<br />"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." <br />Love makes the best kind of family.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com