This morning was the day for which we had been waiting for a long time. January 29th was supposed to be the day that the twins' permanent placement was decided. On that day, the presiding judge turned the case over to District Court, and we were told that a trial would happen sometime at the end of March or early April. When the official date came, it was June 9th. June 9th would finally be the day when we learned if the twins would be staying with us forever or returning to their family.
I have to preface today's adventure by noting that our caseworker has been very ill, and is actually on medical leave, we found out last week. This explains why we hadn't heard much about the trial happening this week, and even as of this weekend, weren't sure precisely of the time or exact courtroom for Monday morning, even though we had left several messages with the department and the twins' lawyer over the last few weeks.
We arrived at the courthouse a little after nine today. We had not been prepped as to which courtroom or which floor - and the San Antonio courthouse is a huge place (with forty-four courtrooms, as I learned today). We had been calling all morning to find someone who knew where we were supposed to be.
When I finally got a phone call back from the lawyer at a little after ten, she was confused as to why I was at court. "Why are you there today when it's been rescheduled for Thursday?"
Ahhhhhhhhh............
Apparently, at last week's mediation hearing to prep all of the lawyers and caseworkers for the trial, the District Court representatives made the announcement that they will not be handling the case - it's not what they do, not enough basis for a District appearance, etc. So, we were put back into the former CPS court judge's docket, and rescheduled for Thursday. Only, nobody told us this - the rescheduling or the reason.
It's easy for things to fall through the cracks, I'm sure. Our caseworker is out indeterminately, so she may not have even been personally present at the meeting last week where the change was made. The lawyer probably thought it was the department's job to communicate details with us about the court appearances. The lawyer was very apologetic, which was nice to hear. These things happen. Still, it was incredibly frustrating to have rearranged work schedules, found childcare for the kids, and then drive an hour one way to hear that you didn't have to come.
Additionally, this means that the twins' case is being given back to the judge who has made it abundantly clear that he thinks there wasn't enough evidence to remove the children in the first place. This is the judge who ordered the six-hour-long unsupervised weekend visits. This doesn't leave us with too much wondering about what decision he is likely to make.
We talked with several people at CPS to try to figure out where to go from here. Long story short, we're just praying that the twins and their siblings have fair representation on Thursday. We hope somebody will step up, learn about the case, and be able to accurately represent the children. To think that there will be somebody at the front of the courtroom on Thursday who knows nothing about the history, or, even worse, nobody at all to speak for them and us, is a horrible thought.
But, these things are not under our control - and for a reason. The Man of the House and I told each other all day that it's always been in God's hands - we know that and we trust in that. As a wonderful close friend says, "God is who He says He is." We know that He knows all about this situation and that it won't change His presence in our lives and in the lives of these children.
The delaying of the final decision is obviously wearing. We are ready just to know the outcome and be ready to start the next chapter of our lives, however it looks.
We are unsure if we will be making the journey back to court on Thursday. We had already made arrangements for today, as I said before. We are not expected to speak; we were only wanting to go to hear the final decision for ourselves.
We would ask for prayers for calm and understanding, for patience, for perspective. You all are so great and lift us up, always just when we need it. Thanks for following along on this journey with us, through the good and the bad, the mundane and the frustrating, through all of the struggles and the blessings. We are blessed to have you as friends and family. Hugs going out to you all!
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