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Monday, November 3, 2014

FASD Poem

I Will Never by Vicki Brewster, May 21, 2004

I Will Never

I will never have the children I dreamed of adopting-
But I do have the children
God planned for me to adopt.
So I will adopt new dreams
for my family and children.

I will never be able to be the mom I want to be.
But I am "their" mom
So I will be the mom they need.

I will never have a "normal" day - one without meds,
doctor appointments, therapy, IEP meetings.
But I do have normal moments.
So I will learn to savor the moments
and take each day as it comes.

I will never be able to assume my children can
follow the simple rules, act appropriately,
understand the consequences of their actions,
or be safe.
But I can surround them with a support system
who will think for them,
remind them of the rules and consequences,
and keep them safe.
So I will be their external brain.

I will never know what my children could have been.
But I can celebrate the wonder of who they are
and what they can become.
So I will give them all the love, support,
encouragement, and the tools they will need
to become productive adults.

I will never be able to change the fact that
the birth mother drank during her pregnancy.
But I can forgive.
So I will not condemn, pass judgment or hate her.

I will never forget the damage that alcohol has done
to my children's brains.
But I can make a difference for another child.
So I will share my knowledge and experiences
as often as I can.

I will never see another child screaming in a store
and just assume he's misbehaving due to poor parenting.
But I can sympathize
with the stress and frustrations of meltdowns.
So I will smile
and offer words of encouragement and support to the mother.

I will never hear another horrible news story
about a child in trouble with the law
and not wonder - was he FASD?
But I can pray for them and their families.
So I will pray for the ones in the news
and the ones we don't read about.

I will never know a bigger joy
than watching my children master a new goal,
remember a rule, or sleep thru the night.
But I can lower my expectations of them and myself.
So I will celebrate with them
every mountain climbed and hurdle crossed.

I will never have a day that is not wholly consumed
with the results of a woman who drank during pregnancy.
But I can raise the community's awareness,
education and support
of this totally preventable birth defect.
So I will.
So I will.

I found this poem on this website: http://jodeekulp.blogspot.com/
It contains a lot of information on FASD. Everything from symptoms, tips for how to live with it to teens/adults with FASD who share their stories and give you an inside look at life from their perspective. 


The other Sunday we took a walk on the Horseshoe Trail. The trail goes right behind our place. The children love this resting place someone made. Joseph thought we should camp out here sometime.

We took some pictures of Lia but I can't seem to find them on my computer.


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