Eight years ago today, we got a call from Children's Aid Society. We were matched with a child!
It was a Thursday evening and the hubby and I were shocked, because it had been seven years since we had started the adoption journey. We had given up hope we would be parents.
They shared T's history and we learned he was prenatally exposed to alcohol and it was one of the things we said we would not take on.
But when we met his foster mother the next day and saw T's photo, at age 1, we fell in love.
From that day on, it was like boarding a bullet train and our lives have been a roller coaster ride since.
Caring for a child with FASD is relentless. The speed, the chaos - they never slow down, even though you feel the wheels of the train falling off.
Most days come with challenges that most people could not understand nor bear.
But thanks to T, we've experienced the joys of parenting, many incredible memories, and love and grace.
So it was fitting that on this day today that T would be reunited with his foster family, who took amazing care of him for his first year of life.
It was his foster brother's birthday and he invited T to his party.
The last time we saw them was four years ago, for T's 5th birthday, a month before the world shut down for the pandemic.
T was very excited to see them, including during the hour-long drive to their town.
The party was held at a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu studio and there were parkour activities, nerf gun shootouts, pizza and cake.
I loved watching T reunite with his foster parents and brother, as if time had not passed. The bond was still there.
T's foster brother is also neurodivergent and while his parents never quite said it, I expect it might also be FASD. But it's not my place to ask and they will share when they want to.
His mother shared with us about their struggles and I wish we lived closer, so T and his foster brother could be companions.
But alas, the sweetness of life is to be savoured, and the party flew by and it was time to say bye.
T gave his foster parents and brother big hugs and off we went, driving home in the heavy rain.
There was a nice message on the wall of the Jiu Jitsu venue. It read, "Today's challenges become tomorrow's strengths."
Just like T was meant to be in our lives, I was meant to see that message today - to remind me that the hardships we face today will bear sweet fruit for T tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment