Skip to main content

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/






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Catching up

So I've decided to start a blog. I thought that this would be a good idea considering we don't get to see our friends and family often and this is a way for those of you who want to can stay in touch with our everyday lives. I'll start from last summer. In May of 2008 Mike was medically discharged from the Marines after 11 years. We then moved from North Carolina back home to Ohio. It really wasn't a "move" more or less a 3 month vacation visiting with family. I have to say that was and probably always will be one of my favorite summers ever! No work, all play! It was great for the grandparents to spend so much time with Hailey! Mike was offered a job in Maryland so we packed up and headed east again. The location was perfect for him because he was already working part time here at an airport. (you'll hear more about this later) Mike started his job in mid August and has been enjoying it for the most part. Since we've been here we have made some g...
Post a Comment
Read more

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give"

"Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something" We've been thinking a lot lately about "dreams." We all have dreams as we are growing up. My dreams have always been pretty simple; get married, have babies, and be fortunate enough to help those in need. I've gotten married, I've had a baby.. hopefully we will have more, and I've always done what I can to help friends and family. But lately I've been having this urge to do more. I'm not fortunate enough to have loads of money to give to charities or those less fortunate, but I do have other ways of helping. Soooo.... after much consideration and conversations late at night we have decided to do foster care! I know what some of you are thinking.. Im crazy! And that may be true... but I couldn't be more excited about it! This is a special type of foster care that only cares for newborn babies from the time they leave the hospital until they get adopted. Normally you will have...
1 comment
Read more

We have been blessed!

WE ARE PREGNANT! I can not believe it and I could not be more happy! We have been trying, wanting, and praying for this for about 18 months now and for it to be real just boggles my mind. Not everyone knows how hard this has been, and I've kept a lot of it bottled up and its been hard, but I want to write this all down and remember how much I want this baby. I've had health problems for the past year that have kept me from losing weight and most importantly getting pregnant. My dr was ready to start fertility treatments with me next month, but I knew we would never have the money to be able to do that. So I settled and was happy just to have our little family of 3, which I love more than anything! After I was sure I wasnt going to get pregnant I was planning my life with Hailey in school and different volunteer things I have been wanting to do. God is so funny sometimes with the way he makes things work out! Getting all of the foster care stuff together has been a lot harder th...
1 comment
Read more