Our family of six lives in an expansive blue home that we call our beach house, atop a hill with fabulous sunsets. It's not near a beach but has enough sand in its landscape that it could rival the gulf view 15 miles away. My husband was raised in Florida, and after 11 years of following our dream of horse ranch ownership in Texas, we returned to his home state to be near family. At home I can be found snuggling with Delilah my wrinkled English bulldog, or sitting cross-legged in my swivel recliner, a cup of coffee steaming from my 'Don't Wake the Bear' mug enjoying an early morning time with Jesus before chaos begins. People assume that I'm an extrovert, but the life of a writer is often in solitude, which suits me well. Perhaps the constant activity with 4 boys at home has me craving the quiet that comes from pouring words out onto a page. As with many mothers, I enjoy the God-given gift of tuning out the crazy around me while my fingers dance melodically over the keyboard.

 

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My husband Eddy and I were married in a barn in Texas surrounded by our love for all things country. Riding in on horseback, I wore a western corset, red cowboy boots and a matching jeweled belt. I was clasping a wild bunch of happy sunflowers and walked up the middle of the barn to the sweet strands of Michael Buble singing ‘Quando?’. It was glorious.​

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We began our journey toward fostering after a quiet whisper worked its way into my heart. Legacy. What will you leave as your legacy? Will it have eternal value? Today, my legacy is that of raising four young men with a boundless love for our heavenly Father. Our boys all came to us between the ages of 2 and 5 and all from backgrounds of trauma, some more severe than others. Today, they are active early and middle adolescents who are all boy all the time. Falling into bed by 9 o'clock is not an uncommon occurrence for this tired mama!​

 

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Being a mother was never the dream of my heart when I was a young adult. So its no slight wonder how I ended up being the mother of four children. Not just any children, though, other people's children! My passion was more in the arena of helping the less fortunate, which lis what ed us to foster care. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with children. 

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Foster care is hard work. Foster care is tumultuous work. Yet foster care is such rewarding work. The honor of caring for children during the most traumatic times of life is the foster care focus. Yet so many do not get involved because the child welfare system is known only for its failings. My passion is to highlight the children in the system, bring their stories in focus, and present you with a game-changing idea: YOU can be part of the solution to the child welfare crisis. Some are called to be foster parents. Some are called to be in a supportive role to foster families. Everyone is called to be a part of caring for children in our community who need a safe and loving home. There is a place for you, and my blog, upcoming book, and speaking engagements aim to help you find your calling in the lives of children.