And as difficult as I know the decision was to separate them, it's absolutely the right thing to do.
Lovebug's oldest brother has always had some significant issues, and they are manifesting in pretty substantial ways lately. The stress of the case has really gotten to him. For the rest of the family he lives with, including his younger brother, it's best that he live in a different home.
I can't help but feel a little jaded about the whole foster care world, when I think about how long Lovebug's brothers were exposed to such, in one person's term, madness. For as many cases as there are like Lovebug's (she was identified early and removed promptly), there are so many more cases like her older brothers.
The first night I picked Lovebug up, I met J, her oldest brother. His first questions were "where will she sleep? do you have food for her? what about clothes?" And it broke my heart, because those were the questions of a boy who had been responsible all too often for providing for his younger siblings.
As time went on, and it was obvious that J had major issues as a result of his upbringing, I always wondered why no one brought it to the attention of DHS sooner. Why did it take this long to recognize this family, and get them the care they so desperately needed?
Over the last year, just as Lovebug has become a part of our family, so have her brothers, and their foster dad. Tonight, I pray for my family, that peace finds them all. That everyone ends up exactly where they are supposed to be.
And that the wounds of the past are patched with the love of the present, and hope for the future.
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