An Unexpected Topic

      I was planning on posting a totally different post today,but felt I needed to update you on something else.
On my last post I wrote briefly about a teenage foster child who was looking for some help with prom. I have a belief that all teens are unfinished products,so to speak,and especially foster children. She has had her many struggles one of which is telling a story.Often not from the perspective of the actual truth but from what might in fact gain her sympathy or attention. I hope you understand what I mean. I think all of us wear on our sleeves many of our feelings and our booboo's (as my grandson use to say). We may not realize that we wear them as a means to an end but many of us do.

If we're lucky we are products of our parents,good parenting. Some are not so lucky.Many rise above their bad parents and make their own way. Trust me there are many,many bad parents out there,who's children are paying a high price. But any child who is given away or taken away is going to have scars. They will forever be learning what they should have been taught as children. All children deserve someone who loves them and has their best interest in mind.

So I wanted to up date you on this little teenager that I will refer to as Allie, and her family. This family has fostered not just her, but her two twin half brothers who have also been dealt more troubles than any child should ever have. They have had some real issues with these twins,behaviorally and emotionally, to say the least. They weren't sure if they could keep them much longer due to the fact that their two children were showing signs of stress with this constant distraction.

I know I could not be a foster parent so I take my hat off to all who do it.But it could be a tough choice to make, and you could end up sacrificing your own family in the process.They do have two wonderful kids of their own.A son ( I will call Joe)who wants to do mission work,and a daughter (Sarah)who is loved by all who know her, especially the little ones she sits for at times.So that's where they were when last we saw them.

This is where they are now.

On Sunday morning this is what happened. Now this photo is NOT their home but it is similar to what we all saw.Thankfully EVERYONE got out in one piece, and all of their animals, except one bird. Sarah their daughter was not home at the time of the fire,she was at church. She is also very active in theater at her high school and had a performance directly after church service,so we made sure she didn't find out until after.

Here is a little bit of what Sarah recently wrote on her facebook page. "I would like to say that although losing the house was a terrible tragedy,I sincerely feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world. I could never have imagined such an outpouring of love and support from literally everyone". She goes on to say " I feel that at the end of this experience I will be able to write a book called Lessons from the Fire.I have learned so much from everyone around me,I can't thank you all enough" These are remarkable kids.

If you've never suffered from a house fire,and hopefully you never will,it can be hard to fully understand how awful it feels. My oldest son who I work for had a house fire 8 years ago and lost everything. It was from that tragedy that he decided to start his restoration business,in addition to his construction company. He understood the empty, awful feeling that they are now going through.

It's been said that out of 100% of our possessions we only use 10%. I think that's true. But that 90% may contain things that we hoped to hang onto and pass down to family.But in the end it is only stuff! As my Grandmother use to tell us "Don't cry over something that can't cry back".

The kids are staying with family and friends until a temporary place is found.The foster children will be taken to a new foster family,but we may never be told where.Allie is 18 and so what exactly will become of her at this point we are unsure. This foster family she's lived with has stated that she can remain with them until she graduates this May.That is what we hope for, but we are concerned.

If there is a bright spot in all of this it is that the prom dress she had worked so hard to save and buy,was not in the house at the time of the fire. It was at my son and daughter in laws home. It is safe and ready for the big event.

The fire was so bad that it looks as if the house will have to be bulldozed, and rebuilt.

The cause of this fire has been offically determined as unknown.