Hey friends!! I need help!! Graduation is coming up/end of the school festival where the kids are putting on plays/dance routines and I have nothing. I got the list of the costumes and I am overwhelmed with how much I have to get, plus the formal attire for the kids graduation kindergarten and sixth grade (I think I am just going to have rent suits for my 9th graders because they’re all such different sizes, but I don’t know!). My heart for our kids is that they never feel like “orphans”, that they feel like any other kid and that they would go dressed like the other kids at these events. It always hurts my heart a little when all the other kids are surrounded by their families and I know it’s hard for our kids to see their peers with their parents, so I would love to be able to get all of their costumes/graduation clothes so they can feel special. I did an amazon gift list with all the things they are asking us! Thank you so much for your help, as I have said, it’s been a rough few months for us, I will share about that at another time, but I know I can’t do this alone and I’m so grateful for our community and support with all of you! Love you all so much! https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/19YN9RGMJLPDI (fb)

It never gets easier. It never stops hurting. The tears always come after the interview, there’s no stopping the flood of emotions I feel when they leave the office. My heart always feels heavy, even when I know it is the best thing for the child, it still makes me sick to my stomach. M is a 5 year old little boy. His grandmother brought him in today, her daughter (M’s mom) disappeared over a year ago. They think she was kidnapped or murdered, since she was involved with a local gang and had been a drug user, she’s been declared deceased by the government. Her mom says she still prays every day that her daughter will come back one day. M was found by the police in an abandoned house, three years nine months old, covered in feces, severely dehydrated, and malnourished, alone. Social workers gave the grandmother custody, but she can barely support herself and has tried to take care of him the best she can. “I want better for him. Better than I had growing up, better than I gave my daughter. He deserves better.” was her answer when I asked why she had come here today. I don’t accept kids younger than 6 years old, that’s my rule, but how can I turn them away? He’s still in kindergarten, he is barely 5, tiny, malnourished, and has so much trauma that I can’t even begin to unpack. She lists all the things that scare him immensely, “I don’t know what he saw or what my daughter put him through, but he scares easily.” The grandmother is speaking, but my attention is on the little boy in front of me, coloring quietly. His large, haunted eyes are wide as he takes in the room, his buzz cut hair, his ragged clothes are too big for his skinny frame, his shoes are ripping at the seams, and he has a small backpack on his lap, it contains the only toy he owns. Lily, my dog, gets up from her bed and rests her head on his leg, sensing his fear and wanting to put him at ease. “Do you want to stay here, M?” I interrupt the grandmother, but it’s a question I ask every child that comes here, I won’t accept a child who doesn’t want to be here, they should always have a say in where they will be living and their future. His head tilts to the side and he looks at me, then down at Lily, his hand gently petting her head, then back at me. He nods, “Yes, I want to stay here.” It never gets easier hearing their stories. Every single child we have here has one. I’m honored that we get to be a part of M’s story, whether he is here for a year or 10 years, it is a privilege to serve him and help him and love him. But it never gets easier. (fb)