And In the Beginning

And in the beginning, there was just me, my husband Don, and my Dobie, Scarlet.  Jonathan, and Jeff, my beloved step-sons were away at college.  A husband and a dog were great, however, my heart; having so much love to give that it sometimes feels like it may explode, decided to move to the country.  We built a house by the river.  Right before we moved, Scarlet passed away and so we decided that we would get another Dobie.  We did and we named her Topaz!  Wow!  I said to my dear and patient husband,  "Hey, let's get a horse!!!" and so we did.  What a sweet horse she was.  Her name was Misty.  She, and Topaz fulfilled all my animal needs.  Then someone said to me, "Well Marianne, if you have a barn then you need a cat!"  I had a very good friend that needed to give her cats away to a good home, so Tigger and Oprah (yes she was rather large...sorry Oprah) came to live with us.   Peace abounded at our small farm for a couple of years.  There was no hope in Don and I having a child of our own.  That was pretty darned sad, but I slowly got used to the idea of it.  Don had made it clear that we would not have a child unless God virtually dropped one on our doorstep!!!  He, being the good Harvard trained guy that he is figured that would never happen.  Surprise!!!  In February of 1992 I was outside figuring out just how to become  a farmer, when the phone rang. "Mrs. Miller, a young girl has come into our office and has requested that we see if you are interested in adopting the child that she is carrying"  Well, after I promptly fainted, it said, "OF COURSE!!"   A wonderful and beautiful 6 months passed with me taking this young girl to the doctor, talking ,and of course me having a complete nervous breakdown and pinching myself wondering if this were real or a dream!   Our sweet daughter was born in July and came home to live with us the day after she was born.  Not many mothers can say that they cut their child's umbilical cord!  With her arrival was the beginning of The Unexpected Ark!