Eight months ago: Tamara is working full time raising her 9yr old daughter and 3 yr old granddaughter. Her 22 yr old son is the father and the baby's mother has disappeared. Tamara starts getting calls at work that her 9 yr old is sick at school and she needs to come and get her. She takes her daughter to the doctor and they cannot figure out what is wrong with her so she sends her back to school. The calls continue, sometimes 3 times a week. Well her employer decided that he needed someone who could be at work everyday and lets her go.
Six months ago: Tamara's daughter is finally diagnosed and ends up spending most of the summer in and out of the hospital. In the meantime she is trying to find full time employment but she cannot make a commitment, knowing that her daughter comes first.
Present day: Tamara's daughter is doing better but still is dealing with a lifelong illness, her 3 year old granddaughter is still living in her home. She has not filed for full custody because Tamara firmly believes that every child should know her mother and she will not be someone to stand in the way. I commend her for this but in the same way she cannot get any help with taking care of her because she does not have custody. Actually she is being penalized by the state.
Today I met Tamara at the store. She is a very sweet woman who is well spoken and extremely thankful that her family was chosen to be adopted. Her shopping trip was finding the best deals on toys and cloths for her girls. I cannot tell you how many times things were exchanged out of the shopping cart. I keep track of what we spend and my paper was pretty messy by the time we were done. But Tamara was determined to find the best deal on everything.
One of the most important things that we shopped for today was an outfit for her 9yr old. Her daughter has an upcoming Christmas show at her elementary school and she wanted her to feel pretty. I am confident that we found a beautiful outfit for her to wear.
When we were done I helped her fill her trunk with all the goodies and she turned to me and said that she wishes I understood what a difference I made in her children's lives. I told her that many years ago I was in her shoes and I accepted help and that I never forgot it. I told her that one day soon she will be in a position to help someone and she will remember this moment. I think that we were both crying at this point and we gave each other a hug and she asked that I send one to everyone. {{{{{{{{{}}}}}}}}}}}
Six months ago: Tamara's daughter is finally diagnosed and ends up spending most of the summer in and out of the hospital. In the meantime she is trying to find full time employment but she cannot make a commitment, knowing that her daughter comes first.
Present day: Tamara's daughter is doing better but still is dealing with a lifelong illness, her 3 year old granddaughter is still living in her home. She has not filed for full custody because Tamara firmly believes that every child should know her mother and she will not be someone to stand in the way. I commend her for this but in the same way she cannot get any help with taking care of her because she does not have custody. Actually she is being penalized by the state.
Today I met Tamara at the store. She is a very sweet woman who is well spoken and extremely thankful that her family was chosen to be adopted. Her shopping trip was finding the best deals on toys and cloths for her girls. I cannot tell you how many times things were exchanged out of the shopping cart. I keep track of what we spend and my paper was pretty messy by the time we were done. But Tamara was determined to find the best deal on everything.
One of the most important things that we shopped for today was an outfit for her 9yr old. Her daughter has an upcoming Christmas show at her elementary school and she wanted her to feel pretty. I am confident that we found a beautiful outfit for her to wear.
When we were done I helped her fill her trunk with all the goodies and she turned to me and said that she wishes I understood what a difference I made in her children's lives. I told her that many years ago I was in her shoes and I accepted help and that I never forgot it. I told her that one day soon she will be in a position to help someone and she will remember this moment. I think that we were both crying at this point and we gave each other a hug and she asked that I send one to everyone. {{{{{{{{{}}}}}}}}}}}
