fbpx
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Where Were You On June 20th, 2011?

Where Were You On June 20th, 2011?

1 comments

You know how it is common for people to talk about where they were or what they were doing when a national or international event happens, usually a tragic one? Like when JFK was shot, or the twin towers were hit. Sometimes it is a joyful or dramatic event, like when the first man walked on the moon.

 

By: Phaedrus

 

 June 20, 2011 was one of those days for me.

I write about this in my book, Adopting the Father’s Heart in a chapter entitled Decision Time. Here are some excerpts from that chapter—

Monday, June 20, 2011. Mondays were hard for me after resigning from the church staff in February 2011, so I made sure that I had a full schedule on Mondays. The week before, on the 14th, we had heard that we were not selected to adopt the 12-year-old boy. Danielle’s uncle passed away that same day. Needless to say, I was not on an emotional high. We went to Houston on Friday, June 17th to attend the funeral for Danielle’s uncle. We made a day trip out of it, so we had plenty of road time to talk about things. Just a couple days earlier we had turned down another foster placement…

After lunch, I went to a home improvement store and bought 300 square feet of ceramic tile for our kitchen and breakfast area. It was a scorching hot and dry summer, and it was about 110 degrees outside that day. I worked for about an hour unloading the tile into my garage, then went inside to cool off. I was sitting at our kitchen table drinking an ice-cold glass of water and reading some emails when I got a call from Arrow about another foster placement. I really did not feel like taking the call or listening to them describe who they wanted to place. I came so very close to not taking the call, but I decided I could politely listen and then turn it down. Danielle was not even at home. She had gone to help a friend do some grocery shopping…

Immediately my head began to spin. I knew that she (Arrow Caseworker) needed to have an answer quickly so that they could assure a foster home for this baby. Danielle and I had discussed being open to taking a child who was this young, but our home was not prepared for that age at all. What I mean is that we had nothing in our home for a child of this age except for a portable Pack and Play. Our focus was more on the 4 to 10-year-old age. But for the first time since being certified, there was no other reason not to accept the placement of this child.

Hesitantly, I decided that I would accept the placement, primarily because the Arrow caseworker felt like it would be for a short time, possibly for only a week or two. I called Arrow back and accepted the placement. After thanking us for accepting the placement, they informed me that the CPS caseworker would be bringing him to our home in a couple of hours. An Arrow caseworker called shortly afterward to let me know that she would be coming by as well. It was all happening very fast! There I was still sitting at my kitchen table, sweat now drying on my skin, staring out the window. How little time it took to completely change my life for who knew how long. I thought to myself that I sure hoped that Danielle was ok with us fostering such a young child.

The events of that day changed our lives forever! I can’t explain how happy I am that I took that call on June 20, 2011.

The perfect audience for this book is anyone who is considering adoption especially through foster care. If you know someone considering this, please refer my book to them.

 

About the Author

Follow me

I am a longtime Austinite. Married my beautiful wife over 35 years ago. Adopted our son September 2012.
As a small business and nonprofit coach/consultant, I have found my sweet spot. I lean on my varied background of corporate, small business ownership, writing, and pastoring as I work to help small business owners and nonprofit founders build the business they want to have.


  • Comment emailed to me via Ray Mosley—

    Isn’t that just like God to work in our lives?

    June 13, 2002 was like that. According to DPRS rules, you could have a maximum of 6 children in your home – yours plus foster – 6 was the max. Donna and I had a full household – 5 “keeper” kids (ours or adopted) – and one we would adopt tomorrow – Asia – our fourth “final” adoption. Donna and I had talked it all through and resigned ourselves to the fact that our days of fostering were over. The only way to keep on was to become a group home where we could foster up to 12 and we were not able to do that. So we were through – fostering was over after 10+ years – and we would concentrate on raising those God had given us. We were at peace with our decision.

    THEN the day before “final” adoption day, we got the call. Could we accept a tiny baby, just born? We told the worker, no. We were through. Then she said, “I think you will want this one – it’s Mattie’s sister.” Things changed quickly, and we took baby Katrina (now 11) into our homes and hearts.

  • {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}
    >