It's interesting how the growth of experiencing foster care has not been exclusively ours. It's very much like our entire community of friends and family grow along with us. A couple weeks ago a friend of mine was at an event with me at my foster agency and said that fostering is never something she would be able to do personally. My response was that she reaches these kids and has a huge impact through her support of Roger and I and our close friendship. Truer words were never spoken. Okay, that's not exactly accurate. The Bible is full of true-spoken words...but I liked mine too. =P
The first go-round of fostering was like a painful mess we stumbled in to. Lots of growing pains to experience and chaos and frustration ..all that good stuff that makes life interesting. Or something. Along with all of that craziness we felt isolated from our friends and even family. It was probably similar to a drowning sensation. Everything smothering joy out our lives. It felt that extreme anyway. I think for those of you who were a part of our lives during that time and knew how the boys were when we first got them, it is a relatively fair assessment I think. On top of that we had NO idea what we were doing both with the kids and with the whole messy system that is foster care. Suffice it to say, that was a learning experience I would never go back to change. Haha. Truly.. I learned a lot of things about myself; some that were encouraging and some that I was not so proud of. All necessary.
Fast forward almost 2 years into foster care and here we are with our second real placement and it feels so different. The kiddo (a 6 year old girl..just the 1 =P) is easy, our friends and family have been supportive in just the right way that has meant so much to us, and the people working on the case are reasonable people that answer my questions and seem to be working in the best interest of the child. That last part should seem obvious, but it isn't always. Some of the people that are part of "the system" can be horrifyingly dense. Anyway though, I had friends calling me saying they'd love to get together or help watch the kiddo if we needed it, inviting us to mini golf, inviting us to their house to hang out..family offering to run to pick stuff up at the store for me, also offers of dinner together, flexibility in timing of things (yep I'm pretty much always running later than our planned time to leave for work but dear Becca is so patient with me =) )...it's incredible. We didn't know what we needed as far as support was concerned and neither did anyone else. Now through life experience with it all it's as though these people that love us are growing in understanding right along with us. I love it! and even more than loving it, I consider myself SO very blessed by all of these people who support us in a million little and big ways. Who could even fathom this kind of community? I would have never imagined myself where I am today.
I am amazed, I am thankful, and I love you all very much. =)
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