Today, I have been thinking about the mass number of foster children I have routine contact with and wonder how in the world things have gotten to this point. It seems that in my area, the need for foster parents grows on a daily basis and the suitable homes are overflowing with kids. This is not a good thing. I worry about a world that has so many kids in need of rescuing.
The good news is that there are many people stepping up to the plate. They want to make a difference in a child’s life and are willing to invest themselves in the greater good. I love that. I heard a quote recently that put everything in perspective for me. It is: To acknowledge that there is bad in the world is to compare it to the fact that there is also good…
Sometimes it is hard to see the good. The children who are coming into your home are hurt and needy, their birthparents are struggling (to put it kindly) and they require so much of a foster parent. Yet, I know that for every bad thing that is there- a good one trumps it. I like to call it one little word, “Gratitude.”
That word sounds so good rolling off your lips. Try it. Say, “I am grateful.”
Ahhh… Don’t you feel better. We do have so much to be grateful for and our children do to- all of them. Even our foster kids. They have a home, food, schooling and often friends. They have lost in their lives but many people have. The power of seeing what you have and being grateful for it allows good to trump evil. I try to remember that as I work through the latest hurdle I am facing. Stepping back for a moment and getting a good hard look into life will allow the observant one to see the good. It is everywhere.
The foster care system is good. It is allowing hope for children and families. That is what each foster parent must focus on. If that focus is lost, the heart is lost as well. Without a heart for children and the situations that they find themselves in- a foster parent is not truly fulfilling their ultimate goal.
As you live your life- look for the good. It is there. It is prevalent. It just needs focus. That good has the power to change a life.
~For that I am grateful~
Angie
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