Two Mother's Days

There should be two mother’s day every year. The one we have is fine, just fine, and I have no problem with it. But there is a different set of mothers that need to be truly admired, appreciated, and yes, honored for their sacrificial love.

These are the foster mothers. These are the mothers that take in someone else’s child at any time of the day or night and try so hard to make that little person feel loved and secure.  These are the mama’s who haven’t had even nine months to bond with this frantic, terrified, rebellious and insecure little individual, but they are giving it there best shot.  May God bless them.

I was listening to an elderly former foster mother this evening while she was reminiscing.

…The room was dark, or at least semi dark and she was trying to help just one more of the foster babies they had cared for over the years to settle down for the night.

“A little black sheep was straying one day in a meadow where wild flowers grow…” She sang softly in order to get him to go to sleep, although she could tell he was listening intently. “When the sun went down t’was then he got lost and didn’t know which way to go. He cried and he cried ‘cuz he had been bad and wished he had never done wrong. He said to himself ‘I’m just a black sheep, they don’t even care that I’m gone.’

My, oh, my, did that little fella ever get upset. Although he was only two years old something about that song struck a chord with him and ‘he cried and he cried’ while my friend tried to coax him to listen to the rest of the song.  When he found out that ‘the shepherd’s big dog found the little black sheep and  was so happy that he had been found, little Ryan leaped off of his foster mother’s lap and clapped and shouted for joy.

I wonder how many of these children feel like they are lost (or sent away) because they have been ‘bad’. It must be so reassuring for them if someone gives them unconditional love during this difficult time in their lives.

I sure hope some of you will prayerfully consider becoming foster parents. They need your l love. So do their parents.