The First Year of Fostering

We have been officially licensed for one year. I have sat and reflected on the past year. There have been a lot of ups and a lot of downs. I can see now where I had some naive thoughts and not enough caution especially with placement #1, yet how abnormal that case was as well. I can also reflect and be proud at some advocating we have done for Joy, JJ, and Leo.

I hear a lot, “Wow, that must be hard. It takes a special person.” My thought in response, but does it? I think it takes a person who has a good partner, support system, love, and the willingness to live a transparent life. We all go through easy, happy and hard, frustrating, and absolutely heartbreaking times in life. If God takes care of the littlest of creatures, would He not take care of us as well? Therefore, I add to my answer, a person who fosters, must have faith. They must believe that God takes care of all of His children and that His plan is perfect for each one of us. Without believing in such a loving and powerful God, we would not have made it through the year, at least with as much “ease” as we have.

Another thing I have noticed is people thinking a lot about the negatives of fostering. The court cases, the heart break,visit days, the unknown of some of the behavioral and medical issues the kids may have and they miss the happy times. The giggles, the play time, all of the “firsts” that we get to be a part of. The absolute happiness on that child’s face over and over again. When you come home and they squeal and run to you is something that makes a lot of the hard so worth it. One of the things I find most joy in is the happiness that the child brings to others. What a gift God gave us!

So as I reflect on this past year, I see so much happiness and love. I see how God carried us through the rough spots and created a beautiful pathway full of love and little giggles. I see how incredibly loved we are by our village. We have had porch drop offs of food, clothes, diapers, wipes, toys and cribs! What a gift our village is to us and the babies God places with us. I am continuously learning of how far my little blog is reaching. For all of you that just follow and pray, we appreciate you so much. Prayer is the absolute best thing anyone could do for us.

In conclusion, here we are, 4 kids, 8 CPS workers, 3 CASA advocates, 4 Ad Litems, and 2 Social Workers later. Our home is full of little giggles and squeals and our hearts are filled with love. We have no plans on stopping our foster journey any time soon. After all, Clan Armstrong must be great and strong!