An Extra Thankful Thanksgiving
As you already know from reading my other blogs, my family has decided to become a licensed foster family. For anyone who is familiar with foster care is it not always the prettiest journey, there is a lot of uncertainty, adjustments and heartbreak. However, there is also so much love, joy and hope. Although you know that going into it, you can’t truly understand until you have your first placement.
We received our first placement the day before Thanksgiving.
We were a little unsure how our new addition to the family would do jumping right
in to meeting all the extended family at Thanksgiving, however she did great.
Watching Shelbie, our new addition, run to my grandparents to give them the
biggest hug and listening to her share about what she was thankful for gave me
a new perspective on life.
Seeing the joy she had meeting my grandparents and listening
to what she was thankful for taught me two things. The first thing Shelbie
taught me the power of going out of your way to make someone feel loved. Even
the simplest act of giving someone a hug can change their whole day around. The
second thing Shelbie taught me was no matter what your past or current
situation is, there is still so much to be thankful for. Shelbie has faced
years of trauma, rejection and heartache waiting to find her forever family.
Rather than dwelling in the fact that she didn’t know what her future was like,
she was thankful for the time she got to spend with our family gathered around
the table. So next time you are faced with either dwelling in your circumstance
or finding joy in it, I hope you think of Shelbie and choose to be thankful
regardless of what you are faced with.
That sounds pretty awesome!!! I don’t have Thanksgiving break in Japan so I felt it was a really great culture. Also, I love your sister’s story because it’s so heartwarming. It is sometimes difficult to feel thankful for someone when you face difficulties, but it is needed as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a heartwarming story Maiya. I am so happy that Shelbie taught you some things about what she is thankful for. Overall, it sounds like you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and learned some new things and I think we all need a Shelbie in our life.
ReplyDeleteI think those two takeaways that you learned are so important in life. People sometimes forget how much even the smallest act of kindness can make in someone's life. We never know what anyone is going through and being nice can make all the difference to someone. And it is so important to always remember to be thankful, there is always someone who is struggling.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome story! You all are so brave for taking on this new task. I am glad you have such a positive impact on someone else life. You are so right about your past is not your future. That is a great lesson learned.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really cool story. My sister is in the process of becoming a foster parent and I think there is a lot to learn from these kids.
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