Page 40 of Beyond Perfect

Soon, Caleb came up to her. “Hey, Sis.” He kissed her cheek, then stepped back. “You all right?”

“Of course.”

“You haven’t changed your mind about long-term foster care, have you?” Caleb really wanted to keep Freddie.

“Never. Sit and tell me how your counseling session went.”

“It was hard. The woman was overwrought, so I spent most of it calming her down.”

“At least she came to you.”

From the front she heard, “If I can have your attention please.” The group leader scanned the couples in attendance. “I’m Luke Cummings from DFS. You’re here because you’re fostering a child. We have topics which we’ll go over later. But first, I’d like you to introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about your life.” He gestured to his left. “We’ll start with you.”

Another pleasant looking man smiled. “I’m George Patterson and this is my wife Lauren. We have three kids and took in a little girl to foster. We wanted to give back because we have so much. My job is principal at Westwood Elementary.”

“Good thanks. Next.”

Maisy listened to the people talking about themselves. When it was her turn, she spoke as enthusiastically as she could. “I’m Maisy Shepherd and this is my brother Caleb. We have a foster child, a boy, and I couldn’t be happier.”

“What do you do, Maisy?”

“Right now, I’m working at Pathways. But I’m leaving there. Six years is enough.”

George Patterson raised his hand. “May I address her?”

“Of course.”

“We have an opening at our school. A teacher is leaving unexpectedly. She has a class for at risk kids. Maisy, with your background, would you consider interviewing for the position?”

“I’d love to.”

“I’ll talk to you after this meeting.”

Luke smiled again. “Caleb?”

“I’m Caleb Shepherd. I came back to Westwood after my divorce and moved into the house our parents left for us. We’re fixing it up. I’m a certified psychologist and have a small practice.”

Maisy noted that he didn’t tell them about the church bombing. Or that he was an ordained pastor.

“Well, you’re both highly qualified to take part in foster care.”

When the group finished introducing themselves, Luke went to a whiteboard which was covered by the screen. He raised it and there were topics written on the board. “I’ll read these off quickly, then I want to hear if you have any you’d like to add.” He began reading.

Adjusting to a new situation

Missing their birth family

Making strong connections with your child

Encouraging openness

Challenging behavior

Interaction with the birth family

Possible reunification

“Let’s start with adjusting to the situation.”

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