Awed and amazed

I am continually awed and amazed by the things I see and hear being a foster parent. Last night we had our 2 little ones' sister and brother stay with us. They are being adopted by Nicole's "foster" brother and his wife. They have had quite a road this past year plus as they were removed from their home placed into foster care and now are finally in their forever home. The journey has been full of love but it is still a hard journey for kids to be on. The constant not knowing where or when they are going or where they are going to end up, and so on. It is sad that they have to go through this, but I strongly believe that it all happens for a reason. And this weekend M made a comment to me, it wasn't anything profound or off the wall, she just simply said my Mom Laura, and I don't even remember the rest of what she was saying. It just melted my heart. Then a little while later, B said something like "not you Matt, my dad Matt." To see this two children finally start to get some finalization to this process and be at peace with it and actually proud of it makes all the crap that we go through as foster parents, under the microscope of the state, worth it. It may not seem like it on certain days but these moments, even when they aren't "my kids" remind me why Nicole and I got into this in the first place. We have been privileged to have 14 children come through our home and we have adopted 2 of them and are in the process of adopting 2 others and we have even been able to help a couple we love become parents of two special kids. I am so blessed for all of this. God is good!