Note from Editor: (I apologize for an absence from the website. Future plans are set to have this website become a priority.)
Life is an interesting thing... It's priorities do not always aline with our own... Funny enough they usually aren't... New faces come into our lives we can't expect... Lives which can at times enlighten us to improve our own lives... Give us something that allows and even pushes us to improve them... And moreover, try to improve the lives of others... Which should be our ultimate goal... Our ultimate prize so to speak... So, when new faces come into your life... Give thanks, for the good and the bad, and all that can be learned from them. -Joshua
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Editors Note: This will be a little different than most posts, so please bear with me.
The challenge of reflection on your work is that you can never be totally unbiased. When you look back at what you accomplished, you want to think that everything was done right. That is of course almost never the case, so I will try to be as unbiased as possible. This website has had its fair share of success, as near to a thousand people have visited the site, so the message is reaching people. The blog posts have also (for the most part) been on schedule which means the commitment to the site hasn't slipped. There has been struggles though, particularly getting people to participate in discussion within the site. That was one of the biggest goals for this platform; one of the reasons it was built. So, a new strategy for getting interaction is needed, and is being worked towards.You can help by commenting on ways to connect the community on this site effectively. That would be a amazing help. Also, getting stories for the Stories and Encouragement part of the site is something that has not been done much at all. That is maybe the biggest thing I (the creator of the site) can and will do to make this website better. I have also learned a lot about myself; such as how I had a lot of life experiences and challenges I needed to share with others. So in reflection, the website has certainly been a positive thing but one that still needs worked on. And worked on it shall be. -Joshua Connections is something that can have many meanings...
They can connect many things, peoples, and places... In ways that often seem... Destined. Whether you believe in destiny or fate, you most likely have had... A situation that seemed as though it was meant to be... Coincidence... Maybe. No matter how, if a situation comes to you that you know you must face... Be it happy... Be it sad... Be it funny... Or a mix of all emotions... Take it, and do with it something good that will help others. You may just end up helping yourself with a personal burden. -Joshua Editor's note. I apologize for the delay on the blog as they have been posted every Friday for a while now; and that is a system that I want to keep going. Thank you for your understanding and support. The world we live in is said to at some times to be a small one... And sometimes that truth seems to flash at us like a neon sign... Much like other truths of life, but that besides the point... As the ability to connect with people in the modern age is easier than ever... And that ability is one that can be use to connect with those who we can learn from... I urge you to take advantage of that... Find a community... A group... A person... Who challenges you to not only think about what you care about... But what you can do about it to improve those around you... And yourself. To change the world, first we must be willing to change ourselves. This is something we need to strive for. Positive change. -Joshua Loss is something that affects everyone at some point... Some tell everyone about their struggle... Some internalize their suffering for varying reasons... Some are somewhere in the middle of these two extremes... However you personally deal with loss... We must understand even under the misery that surrounds us... What and why we do in times of grief matters. How we responded to loss influences those around us... And later the ones around them. Although it almost never makes any sense, loss is part of our lives. So know that no matter the pain.... There are those who want to help you in your times of trouble. And there is someone who needs our help in their times of agony. Keep your eyes open. What we do - and why we do it - in our times of grief matters. Often, more than we know. -Joshua Regulating the expectations you have for yourself can be difficult...
Helping others have realistic expectations can be... Frustrating but rewarding. But regulating your expectations for others... That can be one of the hardest challenges in life. Something that ultimately you control. Challenging as it may be, it is essential to understanding and helping others. Doing that is always the ultimate goal. Or at least it should be... Helping others should always be the ultimate goal in someway in life. So one of the biggest things we can do to help others... Is having optimistic but realistic expectations for them and ourselves. -Joshua Just when you think you know how life works... It throws out every you thought you knew... Adding Chairs to the ever expanding table... The name of the website was neither a mistake or coincidence... To make that the website and not be willing to expand the table I sit at would be... Hypocritical at best... Possibly a sin at worse... What we do affects how others listen to us... So, life is weird and a roller-coaster of emotion and situations... We can often get caught up in the life we live... Keep your eyes open and your heart tender... Then it is possible to be the change we want to see. -Joshua Not knowing what is going on is something that stresses me out.
I don't enjoy it. It makes me nervous. It makes me unsure. But, I recently sat down and realized.... Every foster child has had times that they didn't know what was going on. That they were nervous. That they were unsure. Though we share these emotions in common... The reasons are different. I have never had a time that I didn't know were I was going to sleep at night, I have never had a time that I was nervous for being beat by a drunk parent. I have never had a time that I was unsure where if I would eat today. So remember everyone, You can never truly understand the life of something else. I don't understand, and I never will. That does not mean I cannot love those who's life I can't understand. I can always try to love. Life is tough, isn't it? It takes you up,up,up and then throws you to the ground. When you believe in something with all that you have and then it's taken away....
It stinks. When life gives choices, choices that will lead to a better place, and someone turns the other way.... It hurts. It crushes. Struggle is guaranteed in life: it will come. That does not make it any easier to deal with... However, there is good news. When we as a community of any kind come together and help each other... It can get better It can be forgiven It can bring about growth. So when life knocks you down. Don't fret. Grow, learn, share. - Joshua Why? Whats the point of this blog page? It's simple really. The motivation pure, and the desire authentic. The goal, the mission, the calling is from the true hearts of many, far and wide.
The mission is to enlighten the general public, specifically those in Northern Michigan, to all aspects of Foster Care. From why kids are there in the first place, to why certain people are inclined to opening up their homes, for a day, or for a lifetime. Is the problem bigger than what most people realize? Yes. Are the reasons for that, and lack of knowledge intertwined? Of course. Coming from a family that is ever changing, my desire.......my need, to tell people about my experience, is why this website exists. My frustration with the blank stares I get when I try to discuss Foster Care is what fuels this website. So, if you are always skeptical, I want you to know that is a real person. A real person with real emotions and real goals for this site. I hope you will expand your knowledge with this site, and then maybe you will be motivated as well. That is the ultimate goal. - Joshua |
AuthorFoster brother of an ever expanding family. Archives |