These are my people!

I love the song by Rodney Atkins called, "These are my people".  It goes like this:

These are my people
This is where I come from
We're givin' this life everything we've got and then some
It ain't always pretty
But it's real
That's the way we were made
Wouldn't have it any other way
These are my people

I found my people last week in Lansing at the Michigan Association of Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Parents (MAFAK) conference.  This conference is a big training event that is held each year that invites people from all over Michigan to attend training classes.  It is a three day event and  I  met people from all over the state.  I was hosting my usual information table in the vendor area in hopes of recruiting some new people to become foster parents.  I quickly figured out that everyone in attendance was already licensed and knew all about foster care and adoption.  I quickly adjusted my salesman pitch and just started talking to people and asking questions.

There seemed to be about 300-400 people that just came and went from the vendor area all day long, browsing the booths and looking at the silent auction items.  When I am sitting a my table, I have a lot of time to people watch and I was amazed by the diversity of the event.  By diversity, I don't just mean race.  There were people of all ages ranging from young couples fostering kids to grandparents who are parenting their grandchildren.  I saw an Amish couple, a large African American family, some little people (I hope that is the correct term!), and more that I can't begin to describe.  I was very touched by a white haired gentleman who easily looked around 70 years old cradling a newborn child of a different race.  If you were someone just peeking in the door of this conference, you would see what foster parents like as a group.  Obviously, there are no boundaries or definition that can fully describe this group.

I think I was personally amazed by this group because I have always felt different within my community and even within my own extended family for the work that I do with children.  I tend to use humor and laugh my uniqueness away but it is difficult to be different all the time.  I have written before about how my house stands out in the neighborhood. Holiday's and events with my extended family always require an explanation about who is currently living in my household.  Even my own mother doesn't quite understand why my household is always filled with children and why I would want all of this chaos around me.  All of this doesn't offend me but I do get tired of explaining all time.

As people stopped at my table, I started asking questions.  Are you a foster parent?  How many children do you have right now?  I received some amazing answers!   Some people would give me a number and move on, but most stopped and shared some of their personal stories.  One mother said that she is fostering one child, in the middle of the adoption process with another, and taking care of her sister's child too.  A middle aged mom shared that yesterday she only had three children in the home but she is expecting another tomorrow (and she wasn't pregnant).  My favorite narrative came from the mother that had two children next to her and described a past foster daughter who had aged out of the system but had no where to go.  This grown child was moving back in and bringing her infant child with her.

These are my people!  This is exactly what happens in my household.  Children young and grown keep moving in and moving out.  They each have a story and need a helping hand.  It felt so good to be around people who have similar stories and a similar desire to help a child, regardless of the circumstances.  I did not realize that I had mental walls of protection erected around my brain until they came down with each story that I heard.  I have a smile on my face right now as I write about it.  It was a great feeling to connect with these families and see so many who are willing to sacrifice so much to help a child in need.

Remember that foster parents are the healers behind some of the most horrific stories that are in the news today.  Did you see the headline today (4/30/13) about the newborn baby left on a beach in Hawaii?  By this afternoon a foster family will be showering love upon that abandoned child, but you won't see that headline in the news this afternoon.  However, I am proud to print it here.  Foster parents are the people who open their homes and their hearts to make another person's life better.  I feel so lucky that I was able to see this amazing group in one place and so happy to remember that I am a part of this group too.  Go Foster Parents!

If you would like more information about MAFAK, visit the website at http://www.mafak.co/.