I would not have started this without a magical storm of inspiration that came to me from so many people and places at once. I will do my best to highlight some of them.
First and foremost my family*
- My husband who speaks with passion to anyone and everyone about how we can serve families better. He is an amazing counselor, husband, and parent.
- George who is too hard on himself, unusually bright, talented, and motivated with a flair for melodrama and a love of the spotlight. He has the biggest smile I have ever seen and a tender heart. He is easily hurt but eager to share.
- Sierra who has a lot to be angry about and carries herself with a fighting spirit and powerful determination to be successful. She also taught me to use Facebook earlier this week which was step 1 in moving into the online world.
- Paul who has a kind soul. He got himself into a lot of trouble due to lack of structure and rules, but his inner being is always kind, loving, and desperate to have a positive influence on the people he loves and the world as a whole. Last I heard he aspires to use his experiences to help him become a FBI agent when he grows up.
- Carmen who is a young lady with a remarkable ability to see the good in others no matter what. She came into our home, touched our lives and learned to advocate for herself, and then went on to model for other kids how to do the same. She is truly a role model.
- John who was more of a kid than a teenager when I knew him. He had a strong sense of personal pride and was constantly trying to figure out how to be good in the eyes of the world. He loves practical jokes.
- My parents who were for me what every kid deserves in a parent.
*the names of my family members have been changed to protect their privacy as many of those I consider family are also foster youth
I was also inspired by the voices and actions of individuals I watched online in their Ted Talks. Here I came to see models of people who saw something they believed needed to be done and made it happen. I watched the 3 A’s of Awesome with George and it began a whole new type of conversation between us.
My friends and colleagues have stunned me lately with the compassion they have shown to me personally as well as with their interest in foster care. Your questions came at the right time. It is shocking to me how hard to find the active conversation about foster care, and your questions spurred me to ask more and revealed to me how many people care. Thank you John, Jess, Stef, Chris, Hollie, and Elaine in particular for your genuine curiosity and passion for serving our youth.
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