| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| JessieMae |
Posted - Aug 24 2014 : 05:30:17 AM
The first time I saw her, her brown hair hung in front of her dirty face. She wore an ill fitting jacket, a t-shirt, and pajama pants. I started to say she should zip up her coat—the late November weather was very chilly—but then noticed that the zipper was broken. I smiled at her, and she stared back at me.
“Shianne, this is Matt and Jessie,” her social worker said. She nudged the girl toward us.
“Hi, Shianne,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.” She continued to stare.
The social worker handed Shianne a scrapbook. I had made the scrapbook weeks before, including as many aspects of our lives as I could: pictures of us, of our family, of our house, of our pets. “Don’t you have a question about one of the pictures in your book?” the social worker asked.
Shianne nodded and flipped through the pages. “Here,” she said, jabbing with a finger at a picture of Matt and I with Mickey Mouse, taken at Disney World. “What’s the deal with this?”
I smiled. “That’s Mickey Mouse, of course,” I said.
“Don’t know him,” she replied.
Nine years old, and she didn’t know who Mickey Mouse was.
She also didn’t know what family was. After being bounced around family members her entire life, she was put up for adoption.
After that first meeting, she came to stay with us. She screamed at us and tore at us with her claws. She was frightened and overwhelmed. She didn’t understand what was happening, why she was with us. She didn’t understand the roles of family members, what a family was, what a family did. For months, I worked day and night to assure her she was safe, that she could trust me, that we were her “forever family.” The screaming and scratching continued. For every step forward, we took two steps back. I’d fall into bed after she finally fell asleep and burst into tears. I worried we had done the wrong thing. I worried we weren’t the right parents for her.
Spring came. And Mother’s Day came. I had been warned by the social worker not to make a big deal of the day, that “mother” may not mean the same thing to Shianne as it did to me. But on that special Sunday morning, I was awakened by a small hand tapping on my shoulder. In her hands she held a piggy bank made out of a coffee can. She wore a wide smile. “I made this for you in school,” she said, thrusting it at me. “There’s a card inside.” I pulled it out.
The front said, “To the best mom I’ve ever had.” And on the inside, it said, “Love, your daughter, Shianne.”
Jessie Mae
Farmgirl #134 |
| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| JerseyGirl |
Posted - Aug 25 2014 : 7:23:58 PM
Bless your heart for giving her such love! |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Aug 25 2014 : 12:07:00 PM
a zillion brownie points to you for not giving up on her, so many others would have, it breaks my heart to see so many kids broken by the hell that some put them thru...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| Calicogirl |
Posted - Aug 25 2014 : 06:28:17 AM
Jessie,
Thank you so much for sharing! What a blessing you and your husband are to Shianne. I have much respect for you and all who adopt. It looks like Shianne is feeling secure now, praise God.
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
http://amerryheartjournal.blogspot.com/
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| auntjenny |
Posted - Aug 24 2014 : 5:36:32 PM
Aw jessie... speaking as an adoptive mom of 4 - plus another 2 "homemade"kids... I know thst feeling. What a sweet story.
Inside me there is a skinny girl crying to get out, but I can usually shut her up with cookies. |
| Dapple Grey Lady |
Posted - Aug 24 2014 : 11:53:56 AM
Brought tears to my eyes. Hoping things are a bit smoother now. Love found her.
~ Betty ~
Farmgirl Sister # 5589 |
| hudsonsinaf |
Posted - Aug 24 2014 : 07:19:33 AM
JessieMae - Your story had tears running down my face! Thank you for opening your home, your heart, and your family up to this precious child! Praying things are better now!!!
~ Shannon
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
| Simply Satisfied |
Posted - Aug 24 2014 : 07:06:38 AM
Wow! That is a great story. I hope days are a little simpler but so glad you all found each other.
Emily
Farmgirl # 3591 |
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