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The Foster Care Journey

I was recently asked to write a blog, post, status, to write something, anything, about our foster care journey.  Its taken longer than planned because honestly, I have no idea what to write.  I wanted it to be more than a facebook status, so I decided to look up my blog that I started 8 years ago.  It just so happens that in May of 2010 I wrote about the VERY beginning of our foster care journey.  Our decision to walk this crazy walk of foster care has been on my mind for years.  I can remember being very young and saying I was going to adopt one day, of course nobody took me seriously.  Where I'm from people just don't do this.  Foster Care isn't a huge need and nobody that I knew was adopted. 
Fast forward several years and many friendships later, I now have a circle of friends who have chosen this path for their life as well.  I can tell you right now, I couldn't do any of this alone and having friends and acquaintances who truly "get it" is the only way we get by some days.  On the days I'm crying and wanting to give up because these kiddos are so broken and I don't have the words to help them, I need these friends in my life to encourage and uplift, if we would have quit every time we got discouraged I wouldn't have even began! 

 Family and friends support is huge, HUGE, but I couldn't do any of this without my faith either.  A quote that I stick by is "God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called."  And "called" is exactly what this is, its a calling.  When things are so tough and I feel as I'm drowning, I know that I'm doing what God has asked me to do and I have faith that I will be rewarded by Him. 

 Anyone contemplating joining this journey needs to remember this is and never will be about us. This is your entire family putting their needs, wants and desires second to care for someone lost, broken, abandoned and everything else.  The success stories make every ounce worth it.  Our first kiddos we had "E & E"  are still on the road to the happy ending.  I think about them every single day and am still in contact with their mom.  She sends pictures and updates and I am forever grateful for that.  "O" who we had for only a week, told the social workers that she wishes all kids could live with us and she highly recommends staying at our house haha.  I think she needs to remind my kids how lucky they are ;) I've gotten texts from her mom telling us how grateful she is for us that we were here for her little girl during the worst moments of her life.  THIS is why we do this.  We do this in hopes for reunification.  We pray for positive outcomes.  Every single day multiple families are being ripped apart, beaten and broken down and someone needs to step in and be a light, not just for the kids but for the whole family.  Its an overwhelming feeling to be that light.  There is nothing better than putting down your own needs and giving selflessly.  Although hard, its so so rewarding.  

 Now.. to get ready for twin 3 year olds who will be here any moment..   

 https://www.bair.org/
https://www.gofundme.com/x3a2kc3k
https://www.facebook.com/ForeverFamilyWalk/






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