One day before the special needs sibling group of three children entered our home and doubled the size of our family, my husband was laid off from his job. His boss had found out hubby's political views were different than his and that was the end of his employment there. Hubby said in the exit interview, "You know I'm in the process of adopting three kids right?"
His boss's reply... "Just tell them you can't take 'em!"
God carried us!
With double the family and far less than half the income, that first Christmas was lean... I wondered how we could "give" these kids anything more than a home and ourselves.
One day a few days before Christmas, our social worker showed up in a big station wagon filled to brimming with unwrapped brand new toys... she explained because it was a "foster-to-adopt" situation, she was able to get our kids some gifts the community had donated for foster kids... even though, as far as we were concerned, ... these kids were never foster kids in our home... they were "our family."
I thought we must be first on the list of deliveries, because, like I said... the station wagon was BRIMMING with toys.
I thought, wow... now the adoptees will have a gift, but our bio child will have none...
Let me just tell those who don't already know how very much it sucks as a parent to feel like you're unable to provide all you'd like to for the kids God has blessed you with. Simply put, Dear Hubby and I felt like failures. Our social worker encouraged us that despite hubby's recent unemployment, we were able to provide our children a safe, nurturing, loving home, and unaddicted parents... which is far more than their unemployed bio family was able to provide.
Choked up, I thanked the social worker as she handed me a couple of gifts out of the car and I turned back toward the house.
The social worker asked, "Where are you going????" Everything in this station wagon is for your family!!!!
I couldn't believe how very generous people had been!!!!!
It is SOOOOOO HUMBLING to be the receiver of such generosity!!!!
There were some duplicates of items... some things we already owned... those gifts provided us the opportunity to GIVE to others.
"Giving" is my absolute favorite Christmas gift!
This morning's TV news "feel good" holiday stories of generosity reaching out to underprivileged people in the community brought me back to the year we had the most extravagant Christmas ever...
I still just can't thank people enough for being so generous!!!!
His boss's reply... "Just tell them you can't take 'em!"
God carried us!
With double the family and far less than half the income, that first Christmas was lean... I wondered how we could "give" these kids anything more than a home and ourselves.
One day a few days before Christmas, our social worker showed up in a big station wagon filled to brimming with unwrapped brand new toys... she explained because it was a "foster-to-adopt" situation, she was able to get our kids some gifts the community had donated for foster kids... even though, as far as we were concerned, ... these kids were never foster kids in our home... they were "our family."
I thought we must be first on the list of deliveries, because, like I said... the station wagon was BRIMMING with toys.
I thought, wow... now the adoptees will have a gift, but our bio child will have none...
Let me just tell those who don't already know how very much it sucks as a parent to feel like you're unable to provide all you'd like to for the kids God has blessed you with. Simply put, Dear Hubby and I felt like failures. Our social worker encouraged us that despite hubby's recent unemployment, we were able to provide our children a safe, nurturing, loving home, and unaddicted parents... which is far more than their unemployed bio family was able to provide.
Choked up, I thanked the social worker as she handed me a couple of gifts out of the car and I turned back toward the house.
The social worker asked, "Where are you going????" Everything in this station wagon is for your family!!!!
I couldn't believe how very generous people had been!!!!!
It is SOOOOOO HUMBLING to be the receiver of such generosity!!!!
There were some duplicates of items... some things we already owned... those gifts provided us the opportunity to GIVE to others.
"Giving" is my absolute favorite Christmas gift!
This morning's TV news "feel good" holiday stories of generosity reaching out to underprivileged people in the community brought me back to the year we had the most extravagant Christmas ever...
I still just can't thank people enough for being so generous!!!!
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