Two families, one child

Rose was a little girl who ended up in Foster care as an infant. Her birth parents had a history of drug use, with no apparent desire to stop. Her foster parents took her in, longing to be a permanent place for her. Both families fell in love with Rose and wanted to raise her. This is a story of how these two families converged as one.
Buffy and Howard, the birth parents, began visiting at Youth For Christ with their daughter, Rose in 2006. During this dependency, they started to fight through their addiction, and change long-standing patterns in their life in order to make a safe environment for Rose to come home to. Meanwhile, the foster parents were caring for Rose in their home, growing more and more attached to her by the day. Eventually, these families began to see the other as the “enemy”; wanting what was best for Rose, but having two different ideas of what that was.

The journey for each family was hard, emotionally and mentally. Right before Rose went home to Howard and Buffy, reconciliation between the families began to happen. Both families began to see the pain that the other was experiencing, and were able to connect at a heart level with them. Blaine went to the home where Buffy was staying, and cut and colored everyone’s hair. Arnie began to take Howard to the monthly men’s breakfasts that took place at their church. Howard and Buffy allowed Blaine and Arnie to stay in Rose’s life and share in her growing up.
Today, these families share holidays together, go to church with each other, and consider each other as family. They lean on each other for support and are in constant contact with one another. Their story is one of “redeeming love.” There is beauty in the ashes, but sometimes it is not discovered until one is fully loved and has felt the weight of someone else’s sacrifice. There is power in one’s ability to identify with the pain of another and embrace them where they’re at.