If you’ve read my previous blogs, you’ll know I was anxious (both an excited anxious and a nervous anxious) for my first call for a foster placement. Well, that call came. I feel like that is one of those moments I will always remember where I was and the conversations that followed. This was the moment I had been waiting for; I’m officially a foster parent.

I drove to pick up two little girls who would soon be living in my home. There is so much preparation that goes into becoming a resource family, but nothing actually prepares you fully for that first placement. While protecting these two girls and their family, I won’t share how they ended up in my care, but it was a fast removal and the girls came simply with the clothes on their backs and a few things they had gotten while at the DHS office. I remember calling my support system and asking each of them to run and grab something while I drove to grab the girls. Diapers, pajamas, a change of clothes, and kid-friendly groceries were on my list. I was on my way to get the most important thing: the girls.

The girls were only with me for two short weeks before they were placed with a family member. I knew this was a possibility, and I hoped for whatever outcome would be best for their family. But boy, I learned just how quickly you can grow attached to a child and how love just flows, no matter how long that relationship is. I ended up finding so much peace in a quote I found: “I promise you love + family + all that I can give. Even if only for a little while.” That quote brought me so much comfort knowing that even though my time with the girls is short, I promise to give them all that I can, even if only for a little while.

Something else that was so helpful was a beautiful story that was shared with me about a starfish, which you can read below.