An Open Letter to my Foster Daughters

Dear Girls,

Please bear with me as I am sometimes random. And shallow.

But I am not being shallow today. Random? Probably if I’m completely honest with myself.

Today is the day I pick you up from the shelter and lay my eyes on you for the first time. 

Believe me when I say that I have been praying for you, albeit a nebulous “you,” for months.

We had no idea what God had in store for us (and frankly we still do not).

Yesterday, I heard your names for the first time.

And today I will see you face to face.

I would be lying (and you’ll soon come to find out that lying is completely unacceptable in our house so I really don’t want to lie) if I said I wasn’t even a tiny bit anxious. I have never done this before (I tell you this because I’m sure that won’t be abundantly clear right away!) and even if I had, still would have no idea what to expect.

Regardless of any fears or concern I have, I realize that your fears are undoubtedly exponentially multiplied. To be removed from your home, taken from your parents and brothers…scared is putting it mildly.

I promise you, dears, that I will do my very best to put your fears at ease. We will most-assuredly fumble through this together. And probably not very gracefully either.

Gracefulness is over-rated anyway. Grace is not, by the way.

You will arrive at our door with a story already in progress and it will be my job and “get all caught up”. I know this is silly (be prepared…we are all kinds of silly in this house) but I equate it to watching a show that’s been on for a while (years even) and I decided to start watching it halfway through. I don’t know who the characters are or anything about them.

It takes some time and study to put the pieces together.

I realize that you are individual children of God and He has made you to be unique. Your circumstances are unique and your personalities are as well.

I don’t have any preconceived notions that this path we have chosen to accompany you on it will be all sunshine and roses.

I HOPE it is, but I full-well know that “happy-happy, joy-joy” is doubtful. And naive to even consider it a possibility.

You wouldn’t be the first to call me naïve. I am sometimes a “Pollyanna”. Don’t judge me for that.

But…more than just hope, I want you to know I pray. And I am not alone in that. Many people have been praying, in fact, just for the two of you.

And I (and they) will continue in their prayers for you. For us. For your brothers. For your parents.

Above all else, sweet girls, we want you to see Jesus when you look at us. He humbled himself for the world, and he calls us to do that for others.

I don’t mean to imply that we are so pious or don’t stumble and OFTEN fail. We do fail. And you will see that failure, I am afraid. But God’s mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness. (paraphrase of Lamentations 3:23)

It is an honor and a privilege to care for you during this time when your parents cannot.

With all God’s love,

~ Mrs. Always Random (but I doubt you’ll call me that…I will let you choose what you call me; anything is fine so long as it’s not mean.)

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