Offering a New Home

It was an extremely hot August day in 2006, I was diligently working when my phone rang. A caller on the line identified herself as a Child Protective Service worker and asked if I was related to two girls by the names of Molly and Maggie. I said yes, and stammering asked how I could help her. She went on to tell me that the girls were most likely going to be moved into foster care in the next few days. These two "girls" are my nieces. She went on to inform me that their mother was in the hospital and may not recover from a street morphine drug overdose and that their father, an active alcoholic was not able to take the girls. She then said that the girls father had reported that my husband Rick and myself were first on the list to take the girls. In that moment all of the breathe in me escaped and I could not speak. I did not hear anything she said after that and only asked if there was even 24 hours to talk to my husband and get back to her, she said yes, but no more than that. I went straight home and told the story to my husband...we had just reached empty nest stage after raising our own four children. We prayed and cried and without speaking another word about would we, could we...we knew we would take the girls.

Maggie was headed into 8th grade at our local parish school and Molly desperately wanted to attend a Catholic high school not far from our neighborhood. We visited the girls in the place they were staying at the time which only solidified our decision. It was dirty and drug ridden, the girls were very scared and not at all sure that they wanted to come to our home. Today I know it was not because of us, but more due to the reality of the loss they were facing. They did come and we are so blessed each day by their presence. Seeing them change and grow and deal with the hurt of a grief not unlike death was humbling to both of us.

Today Molly is a freshman at a local community college. She graduated 4.0 from high school in the spring of 2010. Maggie will graduate in the spring of 2011 and is actively visiting college campuses throughout our area. Sometimes, jokingly, they call us Mom and Dad! Warms my heart every time. Sometimes doing the hardest thing becomes one of the simplest and greatest things a human will every accomplish. I am so glad that Jesus gave Rick and I the confidence and strength to not question what He knew must be done for these girls. God Bless!

Colleen P.