What's Important

Turning on the news this morning with depressing news. It just struck me especially sad this morning for some reason. There are just so many senseless murders, but don’t you dare even hint that you want to restrict my right to “bear arms”. Then I got a call from my husband and he told me that our really good friend’s mother was murdered yesterday by his brother. He was on drugs more than likely when he killed her. The details are still emerging as you could imagine.
I then took our little foster baby to his mother who is currently in a drug rehab. When I showed up there were several police cars in the parking lot. When I walked in to drop off this little baby there were three police officers and a woman that I have seen for the last 4 months sitting in the lobby with red and swollen eyes full of despair, resignation, hopelessness and determination. The despair of never being able to get out of her current situation, it must look so daunting. The resignation of giving in to the cycle of abuse and sickness, it must seem so strong. The hopelessness of the dark and dirty place you never seem that far from, it must be so frightening. The determination of a drug addict who will do anything for a fix, abandon her children, her sanity, and her soul.
I stood there staring at her, not even realizing I was staring because I wanted to run up to her and beg her not to leave everything she had worked so hard to achieve. I stood there with tears in my eyes fighting the urge to beg this mother not to leave her children. I was then approached by a stranger and told to give the baby to her so she could remove him from this volatile situation and she would deliver him to his mom. I then gave her the baby and diaper bag and she disappeared. I stood there for a second more and while I looked at this fellow mother sitting with tears streaming down her face and police standing around her, she looked up at me and I started crying and turned to walk out the door. As I waked to my car, there was a police officer talking on the phone telling the person on the other end that she just wants to leave and they were trying to get a hold of her parole officer to talk some sense in her but it was doubtful it would help because this woman was determined. She would go straight to jail, her two children straight to a foster home or if none could be found then, a holding center until one could be found.
Her children are at school. When they get out more than likely they will be greeted by a social worker and police officer and told that their mom won’t be able to take care of them. They will know what that means because they have been living in a drug rehab with her and know far to much for their very young age. They will be scared and there will be tears and hopefully someone with compassion to hold them while they are escorted to their new home for the time being.
As this election season finally draws to an end, today’s events have made me think. I have heard so many people talking, debating, and arguing about things like gun control and our right to own a damn gun. How imposing more taxes or any more regulations on fire arms would be so wrong. I have also heard a lot about taxes and how this person will raise your taxes and that person will cut your taxes. I have heard people argue about gay marriage and the impact that it will have on your right as a parent or our morality as a society. What about animal rights? They should be able to move in their cages and have a happy life as they are waiting to be killed for our consumption. While these issues are all important they are not the most important.
I do NOT hear anyone talking about these children that are motherless! I hear no one arguing about how our foster system is so broken that in a lot of cases they have to wait in a facility with 80 other children ages 11 and under, for homes because there aren’t any for them to go into. I have not gotten any emails about the amount of neglect or child abuse that goes on. I hear no one yelling about how broken our court systems are and how our drug programs are not working. There are about 1400 foster children in just San Diego county and there about 700 foster homes. These children are neglected and abused and there is no money for any rehabilitation or therapy for children under the age of three. NO money people, for the babies that can be greatly helped by play therapy or good doctors. You can’t even take these little people to good doctors because they are all on MediCal and community clinics are the only ones that will take MediCal.
This is an issue that is in every city, in every state. As a Christian I feel it is my responsibility to be an advocate for the orphan, I believe it is of every Christian. The Bible has made that abundantly clear. Somehow be part of the solution! Stop being so scared that your rights as a parent will be somehow taken away by the government, trust me…you can abuse drugs and your child, be in prison and still have parental rights to your child! You would even have the ability to say yes or no to someone else giving your child a simple hair cut! (Seriously!) What could have more of an impact on society? These children are growing up and will one day be the ones responsible for making a difference in our cities, good or bad.
Think about it!