Day 2

So I am in the process of reading, which kills me. I love to read, but with two kids under the age of five, I feel totally guilty with my head in a book. SO I stay up late and my youngest gets me up early. But I have so much info I want to digest before we get our first child. The two libraries in my general vacinity have very few books on foster care. The first one I read was by Kathy Harrison called One Small Boat. Loved it. She is a true pro and tells it like it is. I am going to have to find her first book. Then I read Richard Miniter's The THings I Want most-which ripped my heart out and prompted this blog. He and his wife ventured into foster care on a whim to help. They got a nightmare but stuck with it. I was so inspired because if anyone had the right to give up, they did- and they almost did. Having raised 6 kids of their own, they hung in there and the kids made it. Granted, he didn't turn into "a perfectly normal kid," but that isn't the point. The point is to love the unloveable. And love did change their child slowly but surely. Aren't we all works in progress. Doesn't God put up with our slow change being patient, slow to anger. Love never fails, least that's what God says if we want to believe Him.

So last night I perused a book written about the system in the 80's. They tell you all the screwed up things people did to the kids. I found it so counter productive. I need current info about what is going on now. I guess it is good to see how things have improved- or not. I think the organization we are going to use really has it togother. They have really high numbers on kids not returning into the system, not going to jail, graduating, etc. So I really need books on the nitty gritty day to day management of a foster home. I want to be inspired by people who hang in there and love a child at his worst like Harrison and Miniter. I guess this is where those blogs by moms of 47 kids help too.

So is there anyone out there who is at the beginning like me??