It could be You

My friend, Amy Astle facebooked me this fabulous article on Foster Parenting.

I'm going to share it VERBATIM, because it is written so perfectly, I don't want to miss anything.

What Foster Parents wish Other People knew...

There are SO MANY ways to help, if you don't think you are equipped to foster a kid in your home right now.

For example....

If you can't do it full time, think about being a "rescue home".  It's just a short amount of time, and you have the kids in, while the caseworker finds them a foster home that matches their needs.  Babies 2 year and under can't stay in the shelter and the caseworkers HAVE to find them somewhere to stay, and it' can't be their homes...so sometimes babies have to stay at the DHS offices until they are placed.  That is terrible.   Caseworkers can't go home, babies aren't anywhere warm and safe....it's not an option.   Consider this VERY IMPORTANT piece of the puzzle.  It's short term and desperately needed.

Respite providers open their home for the weekend for other foster parents, or even kids in the shelter.  There is a lady at church that takes someone home from the shelter EVERY WEEKEND from Friday night until late Sunday afternoon.  She brings in her "Visitor" to church every sunday and takes them in their class.  She is my hero.  Her daughter comes in from college on the weekend to help her.   They are God's hands.

Donate your kid's gently used clothing to places like Foster Wishes or Citizen's caring for Children.  These kids have NOTHING when they come into custody, and foster parents get a $75 voucher for the kid to go buy them everything they need.   $75 doesn't go a long way.  I've gotten to be a magician at the things I buy.   Actually, I have fantastical friends that hook my boys up with the most incredible things.  They are the best dressed foster kids in Oklahoma.   For reals.

Mainly pray for the foster system.  Pray for the healing of the parents and the healing of the children.  This is a very broken system in this state.  It needs constant and continual prayers.  If all else fails, pray constantly for this important system.  It gets a bad rap for a lot of publicized crap, but all the hundreds of GREAT stories go without praise.  Yes, it has its flaws, but don't we all?   Just pray for them.

Ok, I'm reflective tonight, because I look at the three little boogers in my house and I know how precious they are to me, and how lucky any of you would be to share their lives.  I know I got lucky when these 3 came into my life.  They are precious little gems, and God knew I needed them to show me what I was missing.

Life lessons still being learned.....one day at a time.

God is good, All the time.