Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Post-Nesting Life II

I quit my job. I was exhausted both spiritually and physically so I quit. That was seven years ago. I thought I would never teach again and was perfectly happy working at Walgreen's doing whatever anyone needed me to do. But once again, God intervened in my complacent life. In September of 2004 I was hired on as a math teacher at a residential school for at risk children. I LOVED IT! Children in grades six thru ten came from all over the state, their parents hoping for a miraculous change in their children's behaviors and attitudes. Many of these kids had been expelled from their home schools, were judicially ordered, had just been released from the youth detention center, or, as was more often the case, their parents had just had it and wanted them out of their houses. It was not uncommon to have one or two children each year that had been adopted and mom and dad wanted to 'unadopt'. Anna was one of those children. In September 2008, Anna showed up in my 8th grade math class. She was very likable, smiled and laughed easily, got along well with almost everyone, and appeared to have a stronger sense of responsibility then others her age. Since our classes were very small, only 3 - 5 students, I was privy to the intimate details of their lives - mostly because I eavesdropped on their conversations! It wasn't long before I began to think of Anna as a part of my life. In prayer, I expressed my concerns for her future - at 13, who would have her? Before long, foster care and adoption became part of my prayer. In December Bob and I began to talk about it and how such a big step would change our wonderfully easy life. In January 2009 we began the foster care process.

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