Things I Could Never Do... So I Think

I could never hold a snake.

I hate them.

They are a top 3 fear of mine, along with tornadoes and school shootings.

I could never live far from my family. We are talking farther than driving distance in a day. We lived 10 hours from my parents when we were in Minnesota and I'm pretty sure that's as far as I could go.

I could never be a police officer.

I have a relative who is one and an uncle who used to be a highway patrolman. The way our world is nowadays, you couldn't pay me a million dollars a week to do that job. There is no winning there. You are either bad just because you're a cop, or you do your job and you're bad because you are a cop. Or you really are a bad cop and you give the good cops a bad wrap because you are a bad cop.

I also could never adopt or be a foster parent.

I follow Shay Shull on Mix-n-Match Mama and she has went through two adoptions since I have become a follower. The first time when they adopted their daughter Ashby from China, I remember sitting there in tears when she posted pictures of meeting her for the first time. It was strange, but I could feel the love that they have for that little girl just through pictures.

Her family just recently adopted another little girl from China and I'm was completely amazed.

Amazed that they had the courage to adopt in the first place, but to do it all over again? And to have four kids?!

I bring all of this up because my wonderful hair stylist and her husband made the decision to be foster parents. They are trying to foster to adopt.

When I saw her first post of their first baby, I was in shock and complete happiness for her and couldn't wait to see her to get the scoop!

So when I did finally see her, I spent a good 20 minutes in the chair just sobbing. The story that she and her husband went through to get to the point that they decided to foster was just unreal. And then once they decided to do it, a week later, they had a four-day old in their arms.

Her story was so inspiring to me and I kept telling her that I could never do it. Because of the unknown.


"Do you know if she will have to go back?" "Do you know what happened to the parents?" "Do you know she had to be given to foster care?" "Do you know what you will do if you have to give her back?"

They didn't know if they would get to keep this tiny baby.

They didn't know what they would do if they had to give her back (which was why I sobbed).

What they did know was probably very little, except that they had open hearts for whatever was to come. 

What they are doing is one of the most selfless things a person could do ... and I don't know if I could do it. I don't know if I would ever be strong enough to bring children into my home, knowing there is a greater chance that they would be leaving again.

I'm so proud to know someone who took this leap of faith, knowing that God would lead the way. It made me really take a step back and put things in my life into perspective.

And I know that whoever these two take into their home and are entrusted with their care, these children will only be loved whole-heartedly.

They have definitely let their faith be bigger than their fears.