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Over 15 years ago, my wife and I found one question lingering in our minds: Why foster? After much prayer and deliberation, we made the decision to answer that question with action and become foster parents ourselves.
The root of the word trauma is derived from Greek and means “rupture or tear.” When understood from the standpoint of psychological trauma, this means that the trauma survivor has experienced a rupture in their inner being, producing unwanted thoughts. In this Blog we explore why trauma informed care is important.
In order to truly know where we are going, we must learn to embrace our past. When we know better, we do better. Having knowledge and understanding of our history can open doors and opportunity for growth. This month is Black History Month, and we desire to reflect on and celebrate black history.
By definition, empathy requires one to place themselves in the position of another human being. As a result, the ability to empathize with another is not a natural skill for most. The good news, however, is that empathy can be learned if one chooses to develop it.
The worldwide outbreak of coronavirus has led to some intentional changes for all of us. The stress of the pandemic alone can feel overwhelming, not to mention all of the changes that have followed in its wake. We all deal with stress differently, and we should absolutely continue doing those things that work well for us, but we should also commit ourselves to doing some things for the sake of being consistent and unified with others.
It is week 2, day 3 of social distancing at the Sturgess household. We are finally settling into our new normal. I won’t lie, week 1 was hard.
Over the last three weeks, our world has been turned upside down. What was unthinkable has happened. I have a few thoughts I wanted to share that you might resonate with at a deeper level, because I think we’ve all experienced that uncertainty can sometimes lead to disappointments.
As the months went by, we started to get our feet under us, and we began to find some new daily rhythms in life. We felt more confident as parents and discovered new joys watching our little girl grow. Now the coronavirus has hit, and our world is flipped on its head once again.
This past month found Caleb and I in a radically different place than we ever could have expected. I know we aren’t alone in this sentiment. The whole world has, is and will continue to be impacted by COVID-19, and y’all – it’s been hard! That said, there are some really practical steps we take in our house to help us get through this new normal of ours.
In summary, the hardest thing about life is that it is so daily. So, what are some practical and helpful efforts that could be applied to your new lifestyle? Without creating an exhaustive or exhausting list here, let’s explore one option – physical activity.
Three years ago, Jason and Ashley Rozier became the very first family to receive a placement through WinShape Homes Foster Care. As a Staff member at the Chick-fil-A Support Center, Ashley had been connected to the new program, and she and Jason quickly decided they wanted to be a part of what WinShape Homes was doing.
The number of children living with someone other than a biological parent has become an increasing concern. Reports indicate the number of children being raised by grandparents has now risen to a staggering 2.7 million.
As WinShape places an even greater emphasis on creating a culture of diversity, equity and belonging, my heart is focused on how we — as servants within WinShape Homes — are called to respond.
Welcome to 2021. Can we all breathe a collective sigh of relief and gratitude that God sustained us through 2020? As we enter a new year, the reality we face is that most of our circumstances remain the same.
As caregivers, it is our responsibility to facilitate the process of a child developing a positive racial identity.
Over 30 years of creating a safe family environment for children.
Fostering. Maybe you have been thinking about this for years and now God’s tug on your heart is so great that you can no longer put it off. Deciding to foster is a big decision and once it is made, it sets off a process that can seem daunting and stifling.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and at WinShape Homes place high value on the mental health. If you are a parent or professional in foster care, I would encourage you to do the work that leads to good self-care and, ultimately, what Scripture calls the “prosperous soul” in 3 John 1:2.
When we hear the word adoption, joy, excitement and love usually spring into our hearts and minds. When you hear the word reunification, what comes to mind? What emotions do you instantly feel? If you’re like many of us, you may not experience the same happiness or warm fuzzies. Right? Why is that? I’d like to suggest we’ve given the idea of reunification a bad rap.
William’s life had always been a little chaotic. His mom was unable to care for him, and his dad and grandmother who’d raised him passed away. William had lost everyone that he was close to, everyone who was capable of caring for him. He was walking a tough road. But that all changed a little over a year ago.
When children are placed in loving, stable Christian homes, the whole direction of their lives, and sometimes even the trajectory of their biological families, can change.
This profound statement resonated with me for days and even weeks after the encounter. I was so inspired that I decided to take a deep dive into the Fruit of the Spirit, to align myself with this Source of safety as referenced by this young, wise soul.
Stand Sunday started back in 2002 with a pastor at a church in Texas. As the recollection of the day goes, the pastor had already written his sermon for the week and eaten breakfast at home with his children that morning. Later as he stood up to deliver the sermon, the image of his family at the breakfast table crossed his mind. The message he delivered was not what he had prepared, but a drastically different sermon instead.
Christmas is a beautiful time of year. It is the season where we set aside time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and reflect on the gift of Christ. Children living in foster or group homes are burdened with internal voids, conflicted loyalties, lost dreams, and masked feelings that make it difficult to genuinely enjoy the holiday season. For the child feeling sad, overwhelmed, or numb at Christmas, it’s so important for them to know that God sees, God know, and God cares.
Many consider serving in the field of foster care and child welfare a calling — they say, you must be called to be involved in this type of ministry. I’ve found this to be true in my personal journey before coming to serve at WinShape Homes and while I’ve had the privilege of being the Director of Group Care here for the past three years.
As a black child growing up in the south, I became very accustomed to the importance of celebrating Black History Month. I remember being a little girl who was fascinated with the stories and timelines of how “we” (blacks) really got here. I looked forward to the month of February every year with anticipation, wondering who I would get to play in the school programs and community events. The excitement of learning about the journeys of these African American heroes, their sacrifice, their commitment, their work and even some of their deaths would send chills down my spine and tears down my face.
Psychology Today defines resilience as “the ineffable quality that allows some people to be knocked down by life and come back stronger than ever.” Describing those with resilience, the article continues, “Rather than letting failure overcome them and drain their resolve, they find a way to rise from the ashes.”
Alice and Mark Suroviec always knew they wanted to become foster parents, but they never could have imagined what the journey would look like as they opened up their home to one child after another.
When Brian and Lindsey Fox decided to become foster parents, they couldn’t have imagined the plan God had in store. Turns out, it was so much better than their own.
Hear from Kayla as she reflects on her journey through a WinShape Home. For her, this foster family is a forever family.
