Imagine that you and your spouse had a baby. You raised the little girl from an infant, to a toddler, to a little kid. She learned to walk and to talk and her smart, feisty, funny personality emerged … and then one day she suddenly disappeared without a trace. Ten years later she suddenly reappeared as a beautiful 13 year old.
Now imagine that you’re that little girl. When you’re 7 or 8 years old, in the middle of a very tumultuous young life, you learn that you spent the first few years of your life with some people that you have no memory of. When you’re 13 years old you see a big photo album of baby pictures of yourself with these two strangers … and then one day you meet them.
Today me, my wife and our 13 year former foster daughter opened the beginning of a new chapter of our lives that none of us could ever imagine before today. It truly is a weird, wonderful and wacky world.
Jerry,
Am I understanding that you’ve just adopted this 13 year old? If so, congratulations!
No, today we saw her for the first time in 10 years. It couldn’t have gone any better and its clear that our futures will be woven together in some form or another. Next week she and our 10 year old daughter will be meeting for the first time.
Wow. I can’t wait to hear more.
No, I can’t really imagine it, but I’m so glad she’s back in your lives. It’s clear she was never out of your hearts.
How wonderful for all of you!
This is a great story and Jerry and Marie are one of a kind parents.
What a heartwarming story!
Congratulations on the joy you’re experiencing. Would love to learn more when the time is right.
Bob –
My daughter agrees with you Bob … just not in a good way 😉
Jerry – This is a such an incredible story. I wish your family all the best.
What a wonderful story, Jerry. Pictures when/if the time is right, please?
What is the story? I don’t get it? You kid disappeared but has been in Foster Care? What happened back then?
How wonderful that you have been given the gift of seeing her again, and that she was given the gift of having you in her life at a difficult time! Bless you.
Fantastic story! (And, if I’m not mistaken the first time Tricia and Josh have ever agreed on something!)
@Jerry. I’ve seen Jayla grow and blossom and I feel certain she knows how fortunate she is. The picture you have at the top of your blog posts attests to this.
Kim – She was our foster daughter. Unlike many of the foster kids we had, she was with us for years rather than a week or a month. When she was 2 1/2 years old the powers that be rather suddenly decided to send her back to her father. Dad moved away and we never saw or heard from her again. The intervening years did not go well and we recently learned that she is back in foster care in MA. We stopped doing foster care years ago so the DCF never contacted us when she landed back in “the system”. Yesterday, we all met up for the first time and spent a few hours together – a new beginning for all of us.
Sorry for the vagueness of the post (and the possible “oversharing” ;-))
Jerry — It’s great that you can close the loop and no longer wonder where in life she is… but you’d think a social worker would see that she spent so much time w you and try to contact you… Crazy
Jerry, thank you for sharing! Hooray for happiness and family!
Jerry, thanks for “over-sharing.” I want to believe God never closes a window without opening a door. Your story gives me hope.
Even though I am no longer a Newtonite, I try to stop by here on occasion and check in. Jerry, what a wonderfully heartwarming story! Mazel tov to you and your entire family 🙂
Fantastic! Thank you and c0ngrats!
WOW! Here’s another blast from our long ago foster parent past.
Thirteen years ago we took four sisters, aged 3, 5, 7, and 10 camping for a week in Wellfleet down the Cape. They were in a foster home and we took them on vacation and gave the foster parents a break. It was one of the most exhausting weeks of our whole life but it sure was a lot of fun and they were wonderful and very funny kids.
Not long after that stay they returned home to their biological parents and that was the last we heard … until today. My wife just got a call from the eldest who is now 23 years old. She tracked us down and called up to reminisce about that week 13 years ago. The family is all doing well and the eldest is going to round up the younger three (now aged 21, 18, and 16) and we’ll see them soon for a fun visit of stories of their week in the woods.
You’ll never guess (see above) who was our newest stagehand at last night’s performance of “faith healer”.