That Mother Lode

In November, my agency sent an email seeking volunteer families for short-term placements over the holidays because DFPS sometimes has a hard time placing kids during that time, and the kids end up sleeping in CPS offices or hotel rooms.  I let them know that my home was available if needed, and I was happy about potentially having a child in my home for the holidays.  I even purchased a few items that they could unwrap for Christmas.  I was also anticipating my mom and stepdad coming to Houston. The week before Christmas, I was still waiting on a placement, and my parents decided not to come due to the pending winter storm.  Fast forward to Christmas morning when I saw my former kids from children's church on stage performing "The Little Drummer Boy".  I beamed with pride and joy.  One of those kids holds a special place in my heart, and he came to greet me later during service.  I asked his mom if I could take him out during the week since I was on v...

I decided to turn the grief from my divorce into a positive, and I became more intentional about inspiring other people's children the same way that I wanted someone to inspire my future children.  That included volunteering to teach children's church.  I planted seeds by mentoring.  I bought books.  I sponsored scholarships.  I wrote letters to pen pals.  I visited juvenile detention centers.  I stood fully as a member of the village that raises children to fulfill their potential, and I embraced my support role.  My desire to be a mother didn't end.  I am blessed to have several close friends who have shown me that there are many paths to motherhood. They showed me what was possible. Their personal experiences taught me about IVF and IUF, gestational surrogacy, and donor sperm. (Aside: Why did autocorrect change that to "superman"? lol) At the beginning of 2021, two things happened that drew me closer to the foster care system. First, t...