If we’re friends on Insta, you’ve probably noticed we’ve had a couple of extra bodies around our house the past month. Gabe and Cyrus, to be exact. We’ve spent a lot of time with them over the last six years, but more so this Summer due to quarantine in an attempt to keep these teenagers busy. But as they’ve shown up on my feed more, I’ve received all the questions. “Who are the extra kids?” “How long have you known them?” “How did you meet?” Understandably, right?!
So, because the boys have been staying with us quite a bit, I thought I’d address all of the questions in one post. Furthermore, in just a few days, these boys are going to become a part of our family more than ever as they’ll be living with us for the (remote learning) school year. I won’t go into too many details to maintain some privacy, but through numerous discussions with their mom it was decided it would be the best decision for the boys. And I can confidently say that we are all incredibly excited for what’s to come.
Anyway, as these two will officially become members of our household, I wanted to give them a proper introduction. A bit about our history and how our paths so perfectly crossed.
So, let’s take it back to July 2013 when the hubby and I moved to Chicago. You know when you feel a pull towards something? Well, getting involved with the Chicago youth was that thing for me. So almost immediately the hubby and I started researching organizations around the city. Along the way, a family friend who was doing mission work at a church in the Southside of Chicago got wind of our intentions through my parents. Since he had worked for several years in the city with both churches and established operations, we connected.
Over the next several weeks, we toured organizations throughout Chicago to find the one that felt “right” for us. But somewhere along the way, my hubby and I realized that the strict requirements (rightfully made so) were a commitment we couldn’t keep. We were both young professionals at the time working long hours and traveling, so meeting an (assigned) child on the same day at the same time every week just wasn’t in our cards.
After telling our friend that we needed to rethink what exactly it was we wanted to do, he mentioned he knew two incredible boys at his church (who we regular attendees) that he thought we should meet instead. He had come to know their mom over the last couple of years (there were little to no father figures) and arranged a casual luncheon with her to meet and get to know each other. We immediately hit it off, talking about our backgrounds, learning about family life (she was a single mom of six kids, WOW), and how we thought we could help with the boys. I think we both knew at that moment that somehow, for some reason, we were meant to be in each other lives.
So on a brisk day in March 2014, we met Gabe and Cyrus, along with two of their sisters, at their schools basketball court. My hubby and I knew that we wanted a genuine connection with these boys, so this wouldn’t be a forced situation. But like their mom, we just knew. I’ll never forget that day as we played basketball with them, the little 9 and 8 year old versions of Gabe and Cyrus as they chucked the basketball from their chests to the hoop and were so proud to show us their “skills.” We had an immediate bond over all things sports and I remember leaving the basketball court knowing in my heart God had led us to this very spot.
So what were our intentions with these boys? In hindsight, I don’t think the hubby and I knew exactly. But what we did know was that their lives existed in about a 1-mile triangle between their home, church , and school. And that if we did nothing else, we could show them that there was a life outside of Englewood. That if they worked hard in school and at sports, and stayed focused, they could do anything they wanted. And that has been our hope all along.
I won’t say the road has been easy. We’ve had absolutely amazing times with Gabe and Cyrus, watching them grow from little boys to young men. Watching their dramatically different personalities shine in unique ways. Celebrating with their families significant milestones in their education. And introducing them to each of our three littles after they were born. But, there has also been a lot of heartbreak, too. Too much death for 15 and 14 year olds to have witnessed at such young ages. That we have both fortunately and unfortunately been able to walk through with them. But if it wasn’t already crystal clear, it was in these moments over the last couple of years that I knew why we were brought together.
And as we head into this next chapter of coexisting under one roof, I’m even more reassured that our paths intertwined for a reason. I know it will be a bumpy road as we all adjust to one another, create new routines, all the while navigating the road that is remote learning. But the hubby and I will take it one day at a time. Because I know God has a greater plan than our own, just like he did six years ago.
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