Back in a classroom

I had a different kind of day from my normal routine today. On this windy morning I hit the road for Lebanon Valley College, about two hours away. This is what the sky looked like, and there were times I could feel the wind trying to push my car sideways! Once again I enjoyed Christmas music, especially Amy Grant.

So why was I going to college today? I had received an invitation from Wendy, a former foster care caseworker. When Sam, Frank, and Ray were foster sons in our home, Wendy was their caseworker. Without a doubt, she was the best one we ever had. Believe me, a caseworker is not a teenage boy's favorite person in the world, but Wendy broke that stereotype. Wendy has been teaching a sociology course on child abuse at LVC this fall, and part of the course included the foster care system. She found that many of her students had very negative stereotypes of foster parents, so she decided to invite me and another long-time foster mother to come and talk about our experiences.

Here's Wendy on the right with Ann, the other foster mom. Wendy treated us to lunch at a neat old restaurant near the campus. Look at that piece on the wall!

It was so great to reconnect with these two, and then to have the chance to share our hearts and experiences with the students. Actually, it was just fun to be around students again, especially ones that weren't falling out of their seats or putting their hands and feet in everyone else's space!

I had a good drive back and got home just in time for a few hugs and kisses with our little go-getter before he went to bed.