The Foster Care system.
My little voice isn't going to make a change, but my little voice isn't the lone voice in the wilderness, either. Change needs to happen. And maybe the more we talk about it the more it's likely to happen.
I may spend a few days (or a few weeks) talking about this issue that is so very close to my heart. I hope you will be enlightened with what I find out about the current challenges in a very real area that impacts so very many people.
If you wonder about the far reaching impact of dysfunction, addiction, broken homes etc on society I invite you to look around. How many coworkers, family members, friends and distant relatives do you know who have been touched by alcoholism, abuse, drug addictions, poverty and mental illness? I dare say those who have suffered from any of these issues outnumbers those who have not experienced one of these harsh realities.
Let's be real. We are all broken to some degree. Perseverance, resilience, faith, hope, loving people who step into the gap, are some of the ways many of us can function in life. Others don't function. Broken too deeply they turn to the vast menu of substances, addictions and anti-coping methods.
If it was just those folks, choosing to self-medicate or hide from reality, I don't think we'd have a problem. But we do have a problem. For starters let's call it collateral damage.
Collateral damage is a military term. I use it because it's a comment made by a foster care parent when she wondered if the decision being made on the behalf of a child was the best decision for the child. The term collateral damage was used to describe the unfortunate impact on the child and siblings.
collateral damage
I don't know about you, but this is unacceptable to me. This baby in this picture is real. And she is precious.
To be continued.
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