Soon after I had my third cancer surgery I started working at a day care called Crayons.  I was selling real estate and couldn't deal being around adults and their doubtful looks at my survival.  Some days when I was feeling really down and had been shedding a few tears, the phone would ring.  The director would call and ask if I could drive over and rock some babies as they were short handed.  I'd wipe the tears and off I'd go to my therapy session.  What great therapy it was.  So before you think this story is about my cancer, I will switch gears on you.
One day a new little boy started at Crayons.  His name was Christopher, but I will refer to him as C.  C. was a foster child.  C. was three and half and had been in multiple foster homes.  He had been with his birth parents for 18 months.  They were low functioning and really not able to care for him.  In his birth home and foster homes he was abused.  His adoption worker said it was one of the worse cases she had ever worked on.
The first morning at Crayons he tore into all the toys and threw everything off the shelves.  The director worked one on one with him.  At lunch time I looked into his eyes and something strange happened.  I felt very connected with this little one.  He looked like my older son did at that age.  He just seemed to be so alone.  When I left that day I met my husband at one of our sons' basketball games.  My husband was already there and was sitting several rows above where I sat with some of the other moms.  I yelled up to him, "Hey, we got a new kid today and he needs a home, can I bring him home?"  (Where that came from, I have no idea)  He yelled back down to me, "  I'd rather have a puppy."  Then I said, "Well he bites.".  That was the end of that discussion.
The next day a thought came to my "bucket list" mind.  This is something I can do.  I have a wonderful husband and three great kids and we could give this child a home.  I called Children's Services just to inquire.  They told me he would stay where he was until he and his little sister (in another foster home) would be adopted together.  When the little sister was mentioned I was sure that nothing else would come of my inquiry. So on with life I went.  I started to fall in love with C. as time went on. 
Four weeks later it was Christmas and guess what I got.....A PUPPY.  That puppy came down with Parvo and was dying at the vets.  My husband was franic thinking he couldn't give me something that would die, in my fragile state. (The puppy did survive)
While the puppy was in the animal hospital, Childrens Services calls me.  They wanted to know if we could become emergency foster parents for C.  He was in the hospital very sick.  His foster mother didn't want him any more.  I called my husband and he said of course.  So quickly we were licensed and C. moved in.  We all loved him but the child never stopped moving.  Even at night he was non-stop.  It was a year later that we went from foster parents to adoptive parents.  There is soooo much more to this story.  At a later post, I will go into more detail.  So say tuned........