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Mother's are gift

Having just celebrated Mother's Day, it just started me thinking about how fortunate I was to have a Mom. I have a Mother who was always there for me, always provided for me (with help from Dad of course), saw to it that I got a good education, and who to this day, loves and supports me. It is easy to take that for granted if you have always had a mother you could count on.

My youngest son is adopted. We adopted him from the Foster Care system here in Los Angeles. People often ask me what made us decide to adopt, we had three healthy boys already. Jeff and I have always had a heart for the lost ones. The ones who might otherwise be bounced around, and raised in the system. We were so fortunate when we got Nicholas. He was healthy, and thankfully he has been in the care of our family since he was 2 days old, so he never met the future he might have had. He had the protective arms of a Mother by day two, Praise God for that.

Many kids are not as lucky as Nicholas. Many kids grow up with scary uncertainty, not enough food, and very little security, sometimes they even lack basic safety. They are raised in the system, or bounced around between relatives, sleeping on couches, and trying to stay out of trouble and even danger. So many kids do not have Mothers who would lie down their lives to protect them, to feed them, to comfort them, to care how they did at school.

I met a young man this weekend, who is a little older than my oldest son William. He is a sweet and polite boy. I fear his circumstances are much like I described above, and it breaks my heart. Fortunately for him, he has a Coach who is trying to help him make the best of his opportunities. He gives him rides to tournaments, helps him get into camps (for free, or little money), is helping him find a summer job. Praise God for the Angels on earth who take the time to care. My hope is that he and William will become friends. I would like him to know he has some place safe to go if he needs it.

There are so many children in this world without Mothers. Right here, in our own neighborhoods, there are children who go to sleep each night wondering why their Moms let them down, or why they don't care. If you have a heart for children, and I would bet that you do, please pray for them. Pray for responsible foster parents to enter the system for the right reasons. Pray for kids and families to be matched. Pray for their safety, and for God's covering of protection over them. We can't help them all, but we can lift them up in prayer.

Thank you Mom, for always giving me your best.

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