A Very Broken System When Foster Care Awareness Month comes around, I honestly get irritated. For me, it always meant someone was looking after children that came from homes where they were abused and neglected. In my experience, that was not the case. The stories I have heard from other foster parents, it is not … Continue reading Foster Care Awareness Month-Children Do NOT come First

I grew up knowing about Jesus and going to church. I considered my faith strong and I had a relationship with Jesus. Then I stepped foot inside James River Church and the experiences I had came close to destroying my faith and relationship with Jesus. I had a decision to make, work through the church … Continue reading Churches Hurt-Jesus Heals

November is National Adoption Awareness Month. We adopted back in March and if there is one thing I would want everyone to understand it is that adoption is not the cure for childhood trauma. Children are resilient, but that should never be said when it comes to the trauma their little bodies have experienced. The … Continue reading Adoption Is Not A Cure

My bonus daughter, whom I adore, bought me this for my birthday. I try to write in it every night and some nights it’s hard after a challenging day. Driving to work this morning I was sobbing after a hard morning with a dysregulated kiddo. I couldn’t focus on anything. My brain knows if I … Continue reading Practice Gratitude

Going through old photographs brings out a multitude of emotions and a flood of tears. Not one day goes by I do no think of pappy and the influence he had on not just my life but so many others. You cannot walk into our home without seeing something pappy has made. His presence is … Continue reading Always In My Heart

When I first saw the image below, it honestly made me angry. The system is broken in MANY ways and this is one of them. The first focus should ALWAYS be the children and their safety. When we force reunification quickly, we are often putting children right back in harms way causing even more trauma. … Continue reading Reunification Should Not Come First

The system is broken and there is a lot of red tape. When I think of our experience over the past two years, I am still speechless. We hear so much in the media about pro-life, When does pro-life start including the children lost in a very messy and very broken system? When do the … Continue reading Foster Care Awareness Month-A Broken System

1. Saying Yes to God can be the right thing but still be hard on your heart during the unknown. 2. I was placing my identity in a job I loved without realizing it. 3. If we hold too tightly to jobs, things, people etc.…God has a way of reminding us it ALL belongs to … Continue reading What 2021 Taught Me

This Thanksgiving looks different this year, because we said yes to God. I am often asked by friends and family if we know what we are doing. In the beginning I was offended by this question because of course we knew what we were doing, didn’t we? When this question is asked now, most of … Continue reading Our Unexpected Thanksgiving Blessing

1. God remains faithful and provides 2. Treasure moments with family, be completely engaged as you don’t know when you’ll be able to see them again 3. Be flexible 4. Live in the moment 5. It’s okay to really rest and unplug 6. There’s always good if you look 7. Your schedule is never to … Continue reading What 2020 Taught Me