Baa Baa Knit Stitch

I’m going to diverge a bit from your normal, run of the mill dog talk and stitching talk.

I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine.  A friend who undoubtedly is one of the most courageous people I know.

I “met” Kelly, oh, probably about seventeen or eighteen years ago.  I’m a stitcher; and she owned a needlework store.  She’s in Rhode Island, and I’m in Georgia.  Nevertheless, we struck up a friendship over the phone when I’d call to order.  Turns out she’d gone to college at Sewanee in Tennessee, and we met a couple of times when she flew there for reunions or when she graciously took me with her to the needlework market in Nashville.

Why is Kelly courageous?  Well, sixteen months ago, she became a foster mother. She took a precious little girl into her home and nurtured her into a well-adjusted, happy toddler.  As those of you with children know, this isn’t easy.  I never had the guts to do it. As has been thoroughly documented here, I can’t even make my dog behave.

Today, the state of Rhode Island decided it would be in this precious child’s best interest to rip her out of the only home she’d ever known…. after sixteen months of bonding with the only mother she’d ever known, to ship her to strangers in North Carolina with whom she happened to share DNA. Strangers who, upon her birth, had absolutely no interest in her.

(Kelly has asked me to correct my misunderstanding of this: “I just do want to correct one thing. The great-aunt had been identified by birth-mom as the potential placement since the beginning, and great aunt had always expressed an interest, as she has custody of the 5 or 6 other half-siblings. But, my attempts to contact her through DCYF with letters and photos were denied — I was told by DCYF that she wasn’t interested in photos, only the child.”)

This beautiful child has been failed by the system that was supposed to protect her.  How on earth can traumatizing her like that possibly be in her best interest?

Dear Lord, please hold this child in the palm of Your hand and protect her. Send Your angels to guide her.  Please help the family that has her now understand what a precious gift they’ve been given. And please, in Your mercy, help Kelly and her family to heal from this.  Help Kelly to understand that her strength gave this child the best possible start she could have in life. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.