I have so much love to give!
When people ask you why you became a foster parent, that might be your
answer. Because I have so much love to give! As if somehow you have more love than anyone
else. As if, in some miraculous way, your
heart is bigger than average.
It doesn’t take
long for you to realize, however, that commenting on how much love you have is
only half the answer. Or maybe, if you’re truly honest, is not the
right answer at all. You understand now
that what you really mean is, I became a
foster parent because I thought I had so much love to give . . . and because I
wanted a child to love me back.
Is that so
wrong? To give and expect something in
return? To smile and be rewarded with a
sweet grin in response? To open your arms
and feel little arms squeezing you back?
It’s not
wrong, necessarily. It’s human. You were made to give and receive, to love
and be loved. To feel satisfaction from
knowing that someone adores you as much as you adore him.
So what
happens when it’s not reciprocal? When
you give and love and reach and smile and extend and offer, and you get nothing
in return? What happens when love runs
out?
