I'm official!!

I'm official!!

          So Wow! What a journey this has been! I contacted People Places of C'ville in January and as of August 2nd, I'm officially "open for business." You've heard the saying: Well, at least the hard part is over...? I'm pretty sure the easy part is over, and it wasn't all that easy. However, if I can help a child by offering him/her a safe, loving, and supportive place to call home as we navigate a journey that no child should have to navigate, then it will ALL be worth it.
          I found out that I was certified a few minutes before 3pm on Tuesday, August 2nd when I got a phone call from People Places. The short version is: Hi, congratulations, you're certified. And I have a possible placement for you. I was floored. I'm actually certified for two children, as long as the oldest is no older than 3 years old. (It has to do with beds, bedrooms, sharing, etc.) However, the two children I was asked about were older and I do not have two beds for them. There was also the option (which is usually not preferred) to split them up. I did consider the younger of the two, but ended up saying no. No. I said no to helping a young girl. No. No, this doesn't sound like the right fit.
          I still can't believe that I said no, but it didn't sound like the right fit for me. I still think about the fact that I said that, but I also believe that when the right fit comes along I will be able to help however God and the child need. I'm probably going to have to say no again, and I will probably not feel super about it. But I trust God that I will know when to say yes and that God will guide and instruct me if I listen and pay attention.
          About an hour or so after the initial call I received another. PP found placements for both girls but the placement for the older of the sisters needed respite this weekend, as the foster family had  already planned a trip out of town and would not be able to take her. I got off the phone promising to check my schedule and call back shortly. I looked things over, gave it some thought, then I called back and said YES! Yes, I'd help. After that I started a mental list of things I needed to purchase, things I needed to do, etc. This would be a great start to my foster care adventure. An older girl for two nights. The foster family she would be going to Tuesday evening and I could be in touch and I could get some details. I was happy I said yes.
          So there ya go! I'm hopping in the car and on the way to the store, thinking about a million things at once. The drive is about 10-15 minutes. Before I get to the store my phone rings, again. It's People Places, again. I'm told that the Department of Social Services (DSS) where the girls live ended up going with another foster care placement agency, for whatever reason, and I would not be needed to help with respite over the weekend.
          So, a little side note/explanation. When DSS believes the time they'll be spending in court that day will end with children being removed from their current home, they have more than one person/agency which they call. I don't know all the details or proper words, but I know that they usually contact more than one foster care agency with the hopes that, between all of them, there will be at least one family who can take the children. So... I could get a call one day with details about a kid in need of a foster home that evening. However, that child may not be removed from his/her home and he/she may end up in a different foster care agency.
          Back to Tuesday. All of the above happened within three hours. So... I guess this is my life now. Will the phone ring today? Will it be the right fit today? Will the child be removed today? Will the DSS place them through People Places today? Lots of questions, and no concrete answers until the child is in my home.
          Additionally, you know I've come to realize that the hope is to NEVER have a foster child. If I have a foster child that means a child has possibly been abused or neglected, if I have a foster child in my home it means that a judge feels the home a child in is not safe. We need a world where foster families are not needed. A world where each and every child is safe and unconditionally loved and respected. But, until that world exists I will continue to answer phone calls from People Places and do my best to be the type of adult in a child's life that my parents were and still are in mine.