Alex

Rachel Jefferies and Studio Basic:
Trust The Journey: Thrive Bundle

Lynn Grieveson and Rachel Jefferies:
Hear My Voice 02 Hurting Digital Scrapbooking Complete Collection

Tracie Stroud:
Weather The Storm

Journal Reads:
I truly admire you, I truly do. Growing from a child to an adolescent and then an adult can come with a host of good and bad experiences. A child’s life can be stressful, fun, exciting, and scary, depending on a lot of different factors. For children who grow up in the foster care system, their childhood may carry more painful or difficult times than others.
While every foster care child will have a different experience, for many, it’s not uncommon to go through one trauma after another. While seen as a temporary arrangement for those awaiting adoption, many children in foster care end up spending half their childhood and even adolescent lives jumping from home to home. Children in foster care are at increased risk for child abuse and other forms of trauma. As a result, their mental health can be greatly impacted years to come.
Your story is one of pain and suffering. Your foster story started early in life when your parents became unable to care for you properly. You jumped from home to home without often the proper items needed for life. I first met you when you were a young girl, barely 11. You had befriended my daughter. You spent a lot of time at my home and I truly got to know you. Often times you came hungry, without being fed a proper meal. Your hair was not done and when you became a young woman you often did not have the female products needed.
You watched your siblings be adopted out of the system and you too longed for that stable enviroment to call home. You wanted nothing more than a family to love you. So many times you were told someone was wishing to adopt you, only to have your hopes shattered when they decided you weren't the one for them.
You were abused by some foster parents who promised to take care of you. Abused both mentally and physically and sadly even sexually. You have more scars than most, yet you made it through.
When you became an adult you changed your name and tried to start a life for yourself. Yet the deep scars of the past keep sneaking up on you. You self harm to ease the pain. You cry yourself to sleep when no one is watching.
Now that you have a daughter of your own you wish the best for her. And you try so hard to make the best life you can for your daughter. It isn't easy and sometimes you find yourself in situations that aren't the best. Yet you make it through and have learned to ask for help.
You still long for family and I want you to know you found it in me. I am honored to be your "mom" and I want you to know I will always be here for you and love you more than you will ever know. Alex, you and Cassity are family. You don't have to ever feel lonely again. And when you hurt, I want you to know I am only a phone call away.