Vulnerable children in need of authoritative care are a theme I often thread through my stories. Neglect that requires moving a child to foster care most often takes the form of a missing parent—one who has been killed, succumbed to an illness, or who has abandoned them. I have known several sets of parents who minister to these hurting kids in a positive way. These heroes, in my eyes, deserve a hand of applause.
One man and wife I knew stood out in particular. They both held jobs, then went home to their responsibility as foster parents to eight children. I found their commitment not only inspiring, but fascinating. How did one couple stretch themselves to minister to that many children on a daily basis?
As I got to know them and their brood, I discovered they didn’t have a particular plan to succeed. They just made sure all the kids were fed, had responsibilities, and were loved unconditionally. The rooms were set up like camp dormitories, beds arranged in such a way as to invite the kids to talk among themselves. The girls had their space, the boys another. The mother said she often heard them in discussion, sharing their day, or discussing what snack they could sneak upstairs to pass around. Just like camp.
Two of the girls I met through this family were similar in age and counted on each other for support at school. They were not adopted out, but stayed in the home through high school. One had exemplary studies worthy of college entrance. The other girl, often unhappy, chose at graduation to find her sister. The siblings had been separated at the time they entered foster care, something the State of Oregon works to avoid.
The reunion became the spark she’d needed to make her days brighter. The pair got an apartment together and the girl chose to go to beauty school. The sisters moved forward as though making up for lost time. A happier ending than many foster kids get.
In my new release, In Search of Forever, I used the story of those girls as a background for the issues that plague Baylie Summers throughout the book. Jayden Clarke, the hurting boy missing his hero dad after a tour of duty claimed the man’s life, had his earlier years described in my second novel, Love Calls Her Home. With similar losses in both their lives, Jayden and Baylie became friends in high school. Now, as adults, their unique bond drives the story and the happily ever after forward. And who knows? Maybe a little romance?
You’ll have to read the story to find out.
Patricia (Pat) Lee has had a fascination with words and what they can do since she wrote her first short paragraph at the age of six. She doesn’t remember the content of her story, but her teacher became excited at what she’d done. “Obviously,” Pat says, “words made people happy.”
Pat worked as a stringer for a local newspaper during her middle and high school years representing the school’s news to the community. She received her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Oregon, then went on to work as a tabloid newspaper editor at her local church.
After she married, she began her freelancing career and sold to various publications, including Expecting, Moody Monthly, and Power for Living. More recently she has published in two anthologies, Cup of Comfort Bible Promises and Heavenly Company, as well as featured articles in Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Magazine. An Anchor On Her Heart, her debut novel, released in July, 2017. Love Calls Her Home, A Kite on the Wind, and Love’s Autumn Harvest followed. Her newest book, In Search of Forever, releases June 2023.
Pat lives were her husband in the Pacific Northwest. They have two grown children. She is a member of Oregon Christian Writers (OCW) and American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).
Can they bridge the long gap in their friendship?
Growing up, Jayden Clarke dreamed of becoming a Marine like his late father, who was killed in Afghanistan when Jayden was nine. His foster dad, Kurt, was also a decorated soldier. But his own encounter with a narrowly missed IED in Afghanistan leaves Jayden wounded and honorably discharged. He returns home defeated, his dream destroyed, not certain what his future will hold. Who will he become now? Is there anyone he can turn to?
Two years out of college, Baylie Summers has returned to the Mueller Rescue ranch where her best friend Jayden Clarke once lived as a foster teen. She hasn’t seen him since they graduated six years ago, but she’s thrilled when she lands the job as the ranch’s fundraising newsletter writer. Seeking refuge from the storms of life, Baylie waits for Jayden to return home, hoping he’ll have wisdom to help her recover from past incidents she wants to forget. Once a foster child herself, she fears Jayden might not like the woman she’s become. Will telling her secret make her lose Jayden forever?
