Saturday, March 13, 2010

Foster Care Alternative

Have you ever heard of Safe Families??? I know until a week or so ago I hadn't, which I thought rather surprising since I've been doing foster care for almost 8 years now.

Safe Families is not run through the state. It is a volunteer program wherein parents can place their children for one day to thirty days, depending upon the situation, to help them. It could be a parent who is going into the hospital and has no help, a homeless situation, etc. For families who volunteer, there is no monetary help. But, what an amazing witness. What an incredible way to be there for others. To allow families to stay in tact if at all possible before getting in the system. To be God's hands and feet and heart in this world. I'm ready to sign up, BUT since we MAY still be moving in the next few months, I'm going to wait. There is a chapter in the area we're hoping to move to, and while I wouldn't be able to take a young child and pay day care, etc, I certainly could help with a younger school age child. I would love to be able to do this!

With moving, it's still in HIS hands. We're having an open house at the end of the month. While I know these never sell houses, more a way for the neighbors to get a glimpse! :), my realtor wants it, and you never know. With the state budget in edcuation being what it is and owing so much to schools already, I know teaching jobs will be at a premium. While I'm in special ed which does help, if they have a choice between me, who has taught ten years and would get some experience and upper level standing on a pay scale, or someone right out of college, they may not be in a position of taking someone who would cost more, pure and simple. But I know IF districts will be hiring for next year it will most likely happen in the next couple months, so it could be a crazy busy time, or it could be God preparing us to stay another year and see what happens.

Next weekend will be a "makeover" of sorts for me. I'm splurging a little with some of my tax refund. With my focus on getting healthy just over the past year now, I'm finally going to get my hair cut, colored, my eyebrows done, and today I got a new pair of glasses which should come in around that time. On that Monday, March 22 I'm getting a tattoo! I've thought about it for a while, and decided that if I were to hit my 75 pound mark of losing weight, that that would be my "mark" to myself to show what I've accomplished. I'm just shy of that right now, and was at 70.4 lbs on Tuesday. There is a family who is having a tattoo day as an adoption fund raiser on the 22nd, so I decided to go ahead and take the plunge! I'm thinking of getting an ichthys (Christian fish) on the back of my right shoulder. I love the imagery of Christians drawing one half of the fish to find other Christians at a time of unlawfulness in being a Christian. If you have any great images, send them my way!!! :) I'll try to have pictures, but we'll see... :)

3 comments:

Holly said...

We dont have a SAFE families group in our area but what a great idea!
I am too chicken to get a tattoo but think it's for a GREAT cause!!

~Stephanie said...

Open Houses CAN sell houses. I pray God shows you just how quickly He can sell your house!

WTG on your weight loss!!! I hope your house sells quickly!

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I am a single mom to four amazing kids; each of whom just happen to have been adopted. The first three were adopted through foster care, and we just completed an international adoption from Haiti. Our family has grown through adoption and I am all the more blessed to know each of my children. I worship a mighty God, teach Special Ed, love bargains, and am inspired by Pinterest... come along with us for the ride!


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Little Did I Know

Little did I know that the road would be so rocky
Little did I know that the trip would take so long
Little did I know that my heart could hurt so much
Little did I know that God is never wrong

Little did I know that love could be so powerful
Little did I know that a dream so far could go
Little did I know that God would place the right ones
Little did I know that my heart, so large, could grow

Little did I know that a dream has it’s own timing
Little did I know that this day would finally come
Little did I know that four souls would be sent to guide me
Little did I know that they would choose to call me mom

But God knew all along and He had a plan to follow
God knew all along that my dream would soon come true
God knew all along that we five should be together
God knew all along that I’d share it all with you