(For a beautiful, rigid, misunderstood, Autistic, creative, anxious, clever, very loved former foster youth) See me. Look at me. Don’t look past me. Don’t see through me. Look at me. See me. See the quirks. See my eyes- they’re blue. See the fear and uncertainty… Read More »See Me
I won’t give up on you. No matter what. Hard to like. Easy to love. These are daily phrases in our family. This is the 7th hole of its kind in our walls. It won’t be the last. This time, no one got hurt. This… Read More »I Won’t Give Up
Her love language is drawing for us. I was basically this many years old when I realized this. We don’t get many spoken “I LOVE YOU’s” and hugs, and when we cycle through HARD times in our relationship, she often apologizes and repairs by leaving… Read More »Unspoken “I Love You’s”
Today is the first day of summer. My favorite season!! I feel renewed and strengthened by the sun, and so look forward to the lengthening of daylight as we march toward this summer solstice. I anticipate it. I get excited about it. And then it… Read More »Joy AND Grief
“Being a foster sibling comes with more than just being an ordinary sibling. You are welcoming a human who you have no relation to. You want to welcome them with open arms but you are constantly wondering how they feel or what they have been through… Read More »Foster Siblings
“See Me.” (published with permission by the youth) See ME. Look at ME. See my curls, my freckles, my beautiful, blue, questioning eyes. Look past the straight face, wary glances, backwards hugs and flinches. See me. Shoulders forward, head down. See that I don’t want… Read More »See Me
Foster care. It looks different than people think or imagine. It is different ages, different stages, different stories, different caregivers, different endings. It is babies, toddlers, elementary aged, teenagers, and young adults. It is cousins, siblings, grandparents, teachers, aunts, uncles and friends. It is social… Read More »Foster Care looks like…
Community Impact Recently, a foster youth moved into my home. The next day, I took them to Our Village Closet to begin to assemble a basic wardrobe. On the ride over, they were quiet. As we entered the clothes shop area, I saw a look… Read More »Fostering Connection through Fashion!
I knew I wanted to post about #SuicidePrevention and awareness today, but didn’t realize how it would come about. I had some infographics in my notes to share. I had some statistics. Yet the day moved along with still no post. Then Dominique and I… Read More »The Hard Question
Ambiguous loss- a feeling of grief or distress combined with confusion about the lost person or relationship. This is my son. This is her son. I knew…when I met him for the first time, that I wasn’t his first mom. But I could feel I… Read More »Nate’s Journey with Ambiguous Loss & Grief
