Saying Goodbye.

We had the talk. No, not the birds and the bees. The talk no child should ever have to hear. The talk no one wants to have. It was goodbye. She had heard it before. This time would be different than the last though.

The last talk resulted in moving two hours away, to a town, family, and school she’d never seen. She would likely never see her old family, school, or town again.  This time would end in the same school, a town she was familiar with, and a family she knew. Yes, it would end. End in adoption. A permanent home. A forever family.

When we started foster training we knew we wouldn’t be able to adopt every child we welcomed into our home. We weren’t meant to. We were committed to saying yes for as long as we were needed, for as long as we were helping, for as long as we were called.

I spent about two hours at her new family’s house. Two hours of transparent sharing and speaking about what God had placed on our hearts. I left that night with only a peace God could give me. I immediately called my dad and told him this was the reason she had come to live with us. Had we not said yes, she may have never met her forever family. A family that feels called to be hers. The type of family every child deserves.

That conversation was hard. But I knew it was right, I could look ahead. I didn’t realize I wouldn’t have to look ahead very far. About fifteen minutes after this difficult conversation, she had made her decision and she was ecstatic. She had a choice in her life, something many children in care don’t get. This little girl was genuinely happy.

To her new family… Thank you! Thank you for opening your hearts and your home. Thank you for saying yes, when you weren’t even asked. Thank you for being what we weren’t meant to be. Thank you for your hearts. Thank you for your love for her. Thank you.