National Foster Care month

 May is noteworthy.  every year.  foster care has forever impacted our family, and hopefully also forever impacted the kids we've shared our home with.  we~ all eight of us~ are permanently changed because of the decision to foster.  in fact, the whole trajectory of our future has also quite possibly been forever altered.  for the better, we believe.  

that being said, i need to qualify this post by saying that foster care for sure isn't for everyone, nor is it the only lifechanging work that matters.  there are loads of other causes and ways to impact the ones who are hurting around us.  and so many of you are already doing those things beautifully!  still, if you're looking to have a valuable supportive role in the foster care system, here are a few key ways to help:  1. coming alongside and offering support to kids in care by responding to tangible needs and offering mentorship  2. reaching out to foster families who need respite and a sense of a caring community backing them  3. connecting with biological families who need care in their time of crisis and brokenness  4. assisting agencies who support all of these families, ie. volunteer driver, childcare supervision, fundraising, etc..  sooo, yes...no shortage of ways to step in and foster love and growth and healing, is there?

i've mentioned Foster The Family here before, and the awesome book i'm reading of the same name, by Jamie Finn.  so good.  

i post this link, and the quote below, and a bit about our experiences to encourage anyone who might feel called to walk the foster care journey.  i would be happy to chat, and i'll always be entirely real and brutally honest about all that comes with fostering.  

bottom line~ it's not about you, it's about them.  it's all about those kids who need attachment, who need stability and who need an investment of deep down love to provide foundational security and the chance to thrive.

"i could be sitting on the sidelines, in blissful ignorance of the brokenness that surrounds me, enjoying the whole-ness of a sweet and sheltered life.  missing out on the beauty of breaking off pieces of my heart and my life to make another whole."

it's tempting some days, honestly it is, but that last sentence is what drives us to continue.  it's difference making- for them and us!

if you want to wade into the foster care discussion or ask twenty-seven questions, please reach out!

 i'm here...