This holiday season has been my first without both of my parents. Last year my mom wasn't around for it and this year my dad isn't. Celebrating the holidays without them makes it feel a little empty. It got me to thinking about how the foster children we had in our home during the holidays felt.
Some of them weren't old enough to know any different but some of them were. I've tried to put myself in their place. Even though they had bad parents, I'm sure they still missed them and felt empty. As foster parents you try to take away some of that emptiness without replacing their parents. The main thing is you give them a stable place to be while their parents try to get their act together.
I also think about the ones who are adopted and know their birth parents are out there somewhere. I'm sure some of them may feel a certain emptiness, like a part of them is missing. The daughter my wife and I adopted hasn't asked us yet about her birth parents. Hopefully, when she does, we've helped her to not feel like she's missing something and that God more than takes the place of any missing parents.
My wife and I can only do so much but God can take care of it all. I feel that way this holiday season. I miss my parents but my Heavenly Father is more than enough. So if you're missing someone this holiday season, parents, children, siblings, or just a friend, God is more than enough to fill the void. Enjoy the memories of those people and find your peace in our Heavenly Father.
