6/4/2011

We said good-bye to little Candace (not her real name) yesterday.

We found out on Thursday that the judge decided on Wednesday to give custody of Candace to her out-of-state relative and to bypass the additional paperwork and time involved in that rather lengthy process. I had a feeling this would happen. Though our caseworker told us initially that Candace would be with us for 1-3 months, I knew there were some reasons why a judge may grant this relative custody sooner rather than later.

We said good-bye to Candace on Friday afternoon. She was with us for 8 days - Friday to Friday.

I will miss the pitter-patter of her little feet as she ran through the house, chasing my kids. I will miss her high-pitched voice and the real words that would occasionally pop out as she was jabbering nonsense. I will miss the pink stuffed doggy that was her constant companion.

She was truly a joy to care for.

As she left both of my kids expressed their sadness. My daughter wondered why she couldn't stay with us forever. My son said that it would not be fun now that the little girl wasn't here to play. I told them that maybe some day God would bring a foster child to our home that could stay forever.

So our 3rd foster placement is over. We had CJ in December for 10 days. We had Chase and Davey in early May for 4 days. And now Candace for 8 days. No long term placements yet. Our state of Indiana is strongly encouraging short term foster care to give them time to find relatives who can become the long term solution for these kids.

We'll see who God brings our way next.