02/23/2022
It’s hard to talk to many people about my life because they just don’t get it, but in their defense I didn’t either until I lived it.
Lately I’ve been feeling a little blah about foster care. I still feel called to this life but I’m overly tired & feel overworked & stretched paper thin. I’ve got seven kids with several disabilities & doctors appointments & dozens of med logs & 6 carpool lines & lots of birthday parties to attend & so on & so on. It’s never ending & sometimes I find myself craving more rest; but when I say any of this out loud I am often met with something to the tune of “you signed up for this” or they give me permission to quit fostering, rationalizing it because “you’ve done your part” or because “You can’t save them all you know?” So then I choose to muster up the energy I already don’t have to defend why I keep doing what I do & why I am allowed to feel overwhelmed or tired periodically while still operating smack dab in the middle of my calling.
What I needed was a break, not to completely step away from It all.
This past weekend I took my break & my energy was renewed after spending time in fellowship at a retreat with other foster & adoptive mommas who get it & completely understand what I wish every single person understood—that I don’t always need someone to fix it, sometimes I just need them to simply sit in the brokenness with me. Today I’m back to serving dinner with a sink full of dirty dishes to be done & kids who cannot for the life of them understand the concept of inside voices while the baby sleeps; but I’m down for it all, I feel right back where I am supposed to be.
Foster & adoptive parents—just because we choose this life, doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to be overwhelmed sometimes.