MY GREATEST BLESSINGS CALL ME NANA

Summer Vacation

Crystal and the kids were adjusting to their new living arrangements.  Up early, breakfast, a walk in the park, about an hour on the swings and slides, and home again.  They spent about an hour each morning on bible study and some studies for school.  Crystal realized they were behind.  They should have known more for school. What has been going on.  She refused to talk about their mother with them.  Partly because she did not want to know, and she did not want the kids to feel like they were tattling on their mother.  They grabbed lunch after their studies and prepared for a swim in the pool.  Crystal had scraped together enough money for an above ground pool.  She had to find something to keep them occupied and cool. She enjoyed hearing their giggles as they jumped around and splashed in the pool. Things were going well.  Janice had done something right.  The children were sweet and well behaved.  Each night they grabbed their blankets and popcorn and snuggled up on the couch to watch a movie. They seemed to crave routine.

Crystal had let them sleep with her the first few nights. Apparently, they were used to sleeping with their mother and sleeping in the clothes that they were going to wear the next day. They had no pajamas.  She had let them sleep in their underwear and a t-shirt. As sweet as their snuggles were, and as much as she liked looking at their sweet faces while they slept, she knew she had to get them used to sleeping in their own bed. They were getting too old to sleep in one bed. She had been teaching them how to pray at bedtime.  Each night they prayed for their mother to be alright and to call them. It broke Crystal’s heart.

Crystal had waited long enough.  She needed to get the kids registered for school.  She was not sure what to do since she was not their legal guardian.  She called a family law lawyer for a free consultation.  He told her she would need to file a petition in the Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court in the county where the children live.  A notice would be sent to the parents about the hearing and she would need to appear at the hearing.

Crystal filed the petition and waited.  She was sent notice to appear in court.  She had not heard from Janice so she was not sure if she would be there or not.  The courts advised her that they had tried contacting the children’s parents with no luck.  She was being awarded full uncontested custody.  Crystal walked out of the courthouse with mixed emotions.  She was glad to have custody of the children.  This would allow her to do what was needed for her grandchildren. However, she was saddened that Janice had not showed.

While her sister was watching the children, she went on to social services.  She had to see what kind of help she could get.  She walked out of social services with some relief.  She never thought she would utilize public assistance, but her pride was no match for her love for her grandchildren and the desire to do right by them.  She had qualified for food stamps and Medicaid.  Now she knew she would be able to put food on the table and meet any medical needs that came up.

She went to the central registration office to get the kids registered for school.  They were nice enough to look up the school the children may have been in based on their past address.  They called and got all the records transferred via fax.  They placed a copy of the court papers in the file. They were nice enough to make a copy of the file for Crystal so she would have it for her files.

She headed to her sister’s house to pick up the children.  Christina said they had been well behaved.  They had painted some artwork for their rooms.  Crystal smiled as they showed her their artwork.  She told them to get their stuff together as she filled Christina in on everything that had transpired over the course of the day. All that was left to do was take them for a health checkup, dental checkup, and eye checkup.

When they got home, Crystal helped them hang their artwork.  She was tired but still had to get through dinner, baths, movie time, and bedtime.  She prayed that she would be able to keep up with the demands of raising two young children.

The next morning while the kids were playing in the park, Crystal called and made all their medical appointments now that she had a copy of their immunization records.  They were past due for some of their shots. Soon everything needed to get them ready for school would be done.