If our eyes are windows to our souls, the other features certainly help with interpretation. The thoughts are higher, bigger, and more pervasive. There are questions in everything. Our world is different. For some, it’s really the only world they know. A quandary in the world of child welfare is the often dumbfounding loyalty fromContinue reading “Eyes”
Category Archives: foster parenting
My View from the Back Seat: This Life-Altering Course of Parenting
I would always have someone with me, and I would never be lonely, not ever again. At twenty-four, and I was about to have my first baby. Early Motherhood, though inherently challenging, treated me gently. It had been my deepest wish, to become a mother. With my new mom friends, I passed idle days walkingContinue reading “My View from the Back Seat: This Life-Altering Course of Parenting”
Garbage Mom
Monday had a promising start: the sun shone brightly, and I had a few minutes to spare before I would be meeting my longtime friend, so I stopped at the post office. Two pairs of ladies occupied the lobby in front of me; both sets engaged in separate conversations. The first pair consisted of theContinue reading “Garbage Mom”
Fostering Words: Love Isn’t Enough, But At Least It’s Something
As a fresh spring chicken of a foster parent, I was given by one of my dearest friends a candy-pink shirt with the words, “Love is Not Enough” boldly stated for all to see. This puzzled me just a bit. “Hmm…we’ll see”, I thought to myself, as I wore it with pride. That was aboutContinue reading “Fostering Words: Love Isn’t Enough, But At Least It’s Something”
Darkness and Light
My mom sent a photo. It’s hard even to think of my parents as senior citizens, though I am nearly one myself. The image shows participants in a charity race on a bright day, and front and center are my dad and my mom, both reflecting the sun, smiling and looking well…astoundingly so. They areContinue reading “Darkness and Light”
Afterthoughts: A Foster Family
It has been a few years now since my identity has fallen away. It was just a piece of paper, kept in a drawer most days, but it represented so much more than I would ever realize while it tied me to the words written in simple computer-generated letters. We had a family identification number,Continue reading “Afterthoughts: A Foster Family”
So Was That It?
Lush green foliage exploded up the century-old corn crib which had been transformed in recent years to a hobby farmer’s fancy. The lace white blooms of the Sweet Autumn clematis were a few weeks from showing, but the vine was rich and full. It would, we thought collectively, make the perfect backdrop for nextContinue reading “So Was That It?”
The Kindest of Wolves
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not into thine own understanding.” –Proverbs 3:5-6 “Shut up, you stupid idiot, or else I’m going to punch you in the eye.” “Hi, Miss K. I love you.” I am secretly just a bit jealous of the spontaneous embrace that my little boy gave toContinue reading “The Kindest of Wolves”
Circles
“Yesterday, a child came out to wonder”. The voice in my head pleaded, “Don’t cry…don’t cry…don’t cry on your way to the post office.” I had been unexpectedly emotional since the early morning phone call from the postmaster letting me know that my new chickens had arrived. Chicken keeping, like most everything else, has aContinue reading “Circles”
Raccoon Vs. Chicken Vs. Me
As far as I could see, the gravel road stretched into the expanse of the dreary midday. The road seemed to lead to nowhere, but I felt as though I knew where I was going. I must have waited at the edge of the road for at least twenty minutes. The wild grasses were soContinue reading “Raccoon Vs. Chicken Vs. Me”