Holiday plans

Well, now that the holidays are upon us, it is time for the chaos to begin. To add to the stress of a normal family would face during the holidays (parties, shopping, cooking, etc), the stress level increases drastically for houseparents/foster parents/residental workers. This time of the year for the kids is difficult. My life group leader stated that the holidays are the ultimate reminder that they are away from their families. If you have ever spent a holiday away from all of your family, you understand. However, very few of us in have ever really had to do that. I remember I spent the fourth of July in the Ukraine in 1995 and I thought the world was going to come to an end. Even the first time I was with Jason without my family or his, things didn't seem right. The difference between me then and my kids now is that I had a light at the end of the tunnel. I knew when I was seeing my family or I had already celebrated it with them early. My kids have no such assurance. It is painfully obvious to them that they do not get to be with their families and that they should be. For many of them, this is also some sort of anniversary date. All this adds up to emotional stress that, while we attempt to distract them from, must come out some way. Most of the time, they misbehave, are rude and disobiedent. However, some may take it to an extreme by running or making other really poor decisions. While we are sensitve to the issues behind what is driving them to make these choices, we are also painfully aware that there are going to be times, even during the holidays, that we will have to issue consequences and restrictions. That can become difficult as well though. Mainly because there are plenty of things going on that they need to participate in (holidays parties, etc) and yet they will need to feel the consequences of poor decision making. Add to that the fact that some of my kids do actually have a place to go, so for those that are "stuck" here (and yes, they do see it that way regardless of what Jason and I do to make it feel like home), it feels even worse.

All that being said, I will say Thanksgiving and Christmas here are a wonderful event. We have a set of houseparents that buy all of our food year round to stock our commissary and they do an amazing job of making sure we have all the special foods we want and need to make the dinner wonderful. As for presents, many of our supporters lavish an amazing amount of love and support through purchasing specific gifts for the kids. Last year I was stunned at the outpouring of love from the community to our kids. We even have former residents who give back to the kids in special ways.

Jason and I are getting to take a trip to California at the beginning of December to be with his family for a few days. We are both very excited.

Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts as you enjoy the holidays season with your families.