Baggage

 

You never know by looking at a person what kind of pain they may be carrying. Yesterday morning I was able to present our band's original song "Little Girl Lost" at a church in my community. I shared briefly about how it was written out of some of my experiences with foster children. I expected that it would move people to tears. I expected that it would stir up compassion for our nation's children. I expected that it would motivate people to make a difference. I did not expect......
  An elderly gentleman approached me after the service and said he wanted to speak with me. "You said you have been a foster parent around here for years, right?" I confirmed that it was true. He then named 2 children and asked me if I had heard of them. I replied that I knew of them. The next moments broke my heart..... As tears welled up in his eyes, he said, "They are my grandchildren." His tears slipped out and his voice cracked as he asked, "Do you know where they are?"
  I told him that I was pretty sure that his granddaughter had been adopted, but I was unsure of where his grandson was. He continued his story. He was in jail when they were placed in foster care and there was nothing he could do to help their situation. However, he went on to say that he had no other family and that he was trying to find out how to leave some property to them in his will.
  I cannot divulge information about locations of kids who have been in foster care, but I was able to tell him that his grandchildren had actually lived with us for about a month. He smiled as I told him some of the things I remembered about them. And then I remembered that not long after they left my home, their step siblings died in a house fire as a result of arson. He said, "They were also my grandchildren."
  So there I was....standing in front of this man who identified with "Little Girl Lost". A man who had lost all of his grandchildren between a house fire and foster care.  A man whose broken heart was leaking out of his eyes and streaming down his cheeks. A man who wants to do one good thing for his grandchildren before he dies......
   I didn't sleep well last night. I kept thinking and dreaming about this man. I have a call in to one of my connections. I hope that I can get him pointed in the right direction so that he is able to bless his grandchildren with this gift.

To link to the song and the unofficial video go to:
http://www.longingforeden.com/Band/Music.html