RIP....

I never do two posts in one day...but this is so sad to me that i had to share. So, i have one happy post (our Family Day) and one very sad post about the Billings Family.

When i began researching about adoption, i came across a couple in Pensacola, FL who had adopted many children. I was so impressed by this couple that i read more about them. Byrd and Melanie Billings who lived in Beulah, which is a rural area west of Pensacola very near the Alabama border, mainly had adopted special needs children and children who born to drug-addicted mothers. In total, they had 16 children and 12 of those children were adopted. In a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal that i first came across, the couple said they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but didn't imagine their family would grow so large. They owned a car dealership and a few other companies and folks would say how hard working of a couple they were.

On July 10, Byrd and Melanie were shot and killed in an apparent home invasion. None of the children were harmed....one of the children called a woman who lived nearby in a house on the property; she then called the police. Some of the children slept through the home invasion and were waken by police deputies. The children are now staying with other family members. The police are looking, apparently for a van caught on surveillance tape and three folks who were with the van.

Some times things happen that you can't make sense of. This is one of those times. I always want things to make sense....but sometimes, well, they just don't. And i guess in times like this, you tend to question faith and all things with it. But the murder of Byrd and Melanie were works of evil...

I'm so very sad for the Billing's family's children who have lost a wonderful set of parents who loved them and cared for them. I can't imagine the pain for those children who can understand what happened and for the Billing's extended family. I hope that they know that there will be many prayers said for them...