FOSTERING IS ABOUT LOVE … AND HELP FROM ABOVE

This month’s feature is very near and dear to my heart. Having longed to grow our family for many years, my husband and I decided to become foster parents a couple of years ago.

It’s a tough decision and one that we gave much consideration. We already experienced the joy of adoption, but the thought of fostering brought a different set of fears.

• What happens when we become attached to a child and he or she leaves our home?

• Can we handle being foster parents?

• How will our biological children be affected?

• What if a child comes in with larger issues than we can handle?

• What if the birth parents cause trouble?

The list could go on and on forever.

After considering every what if we could think of, our decision to foster came down to knowing there were many kids in our community that needed safe, loving homes, and God would give us the strength to help them through whatever bad situation they came out of.

And that’s exactly what’s happened.

The past two years I have experienced the most growth in my life. Being a foster mom has strengthened me in ways I didn’t even know possible.

It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions since the day I took in a 2-day-old baby boy.

Every day since June 10, 2013, when I first held my precious Anthony, I have cried for him, for his mother and for myself.

At first, I just wanted to love and protect him. I cried every week when he would leave me for visitations with his mother.

Back then, I didn’t know if I wanted to meet the birth mother because I wasn’t sure how I really felt about her. I loved Anthony like he was my son and wanted with all my heart for him to stay with me, yet he had a mother that also loved him and was fighting to get him back. ina@

I eventually decided to meet his mother and I grew to care for her. She was a kind, loving mother, yet couldn’t get things corrected in her own life to be able to raise Anthony safely.

After close to two years of court dates, we are finally scheduled to adopt Anthony, and we couldn’t be happier. And we still have a good relationship with his birth parents.

We had other foster children in our home during our time with Anthony, and I loved every one of them, even if they were only with us for one night.

They are so innocent. I have cried happy tears when my foster kids have been reunited with a family member. You always hate to see them go, but when they are going to a loving family, you can have peace in knowing you helped that child in the interim, and now he is going to the best place for him.

I entered into fostering to adopt children that needed a forever home and learned quickly the best thing for a child is to be reunited with his or her parents — if the situation is safe and loving. I would have never said that two years ago. I never thought I would genuinely say I love my foster kids’ parents.

I have truly grown as a person. I have learned I am stronger than I thought. I have learned I can love the unlovable. I learned when God leads you down a path — even a path that seems impossible to travel — He will walk you through it.

I welcome emails from anyone who has questions or wants to chat about fostering and/or adoption. Please write me at Sabrina@akersmediagroup.com.

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