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Foster care has been a part of my entire life and, like many aspects of life, as one door closes, another door opens. My parents recently closed their home to fostering after providing 30 years of care to children. My husband and I, however, hope to carry on their legacy as we opened our home to fostering children a few years ago.
Providing foster care is always an adventure. Having known no different way of life and having had a predominately positive experience sharing my home, my bedroom, my toys, and my parents, I had always hoped to be able to offer the safety, security and love that my mother so generously gave to me and those who shared our home. By becoming a foster care provider myself, I can do just that.
As with all things in life, there is another side to foster care as well. It can be difficult. By opening my home to children facing challenges, I open my own life and the lives of my family members to those challenges. A recent comment that I shared on social media sums up one of those challenges like this.
“Today we said goodbye to our sweet little foster child of 19 months. From the hospital, to our hearts, to her home. This is one of those stories of joy and grief all mixed up together. We are a family who fosters and foster care is about bringing families to a place of togetherness. We sent our little ‘Pei-pei’ home with a smile on her face, a sparkle in her eyes and 19 months of unconditional love in her soul.
“Today our hearts are hurting, but we will do it again, because it is good and it is right. We have so many undeserved gifts in our life and believe that the best expression of gratitude for all this goodness is to open our home to children in foster care and share these gifts with them. We will hold them close for a little while, we will love them always, for letting go is not loving less.”
Betsy is the mother of two school aged children and one fur baby. Alongside fostering, Betsy runs a home daycare and has great enthusiasm for all things homemade. She believes that life is a story and all stories are enhanced by the presence of others. She strives to live fully, be generous and love deeply.