Kimberly– “Our Christmas Rose”

Kimberly’s favorite thing to draw is this beautiful rose. Kim is a beautiful sixteen-year-old and has been in the realm of the foster care system since 3 days old, when her grandparents took her home from the hospital. After living in the Chicago area until the age of three, her grandparents moved to Rusk County, Wisconsin. Soon after the move grandma died. Grandpa had custody of five grandchildren and two foster children.

This was an important time in young Kimberly’s life. She had just lost her grandmother, and she was entering school for the first time. And this is where we met. The fall of 1994 became an important time for all of us– this is where she walked into our lives and stole our hearts. We tried to assist Grandpa by becoming her kinship volunteers and provide her someone to read to her and help her with her ABC’s.

During Kim’s First grand year, Grandpa moved the children to a new town not far from the blue house. And also during this time we moved to central Wisconsin for my husband’s new job. But, Grandpa allowed us to keep contact with Kim and let her come down to visit us in our new home. Life in Grandpa’s home was getting out of hand and things were happening to her brother and cousins that should not happen between adults and children. During this same time Kim’s birthparents moved to Rusk County.

When Social Services came into help the children they were bounced from inappropriate relative to relative and finally placed in a safe foster home. Just like a rose is beautiful, a child’s smile is too! But, this beautiful smile started to fade with the thorny path called her life.

During visits and placements with birthmother, life became the sharpest thorns of little Kimberly’s life. (At the same time Social Services decided that we were not allowed to see or talk to this beautiful child.) Both the birthmother and birth–sister (who had lived with their mother most of her life took it upon themselves to physically, verbally, and emotionally abuse this beautiful rose, which had started to fade. During this same time Kim was sexual abused by relatives and strangers her mother felt were good company to have around. After several reports, by caring people to desperately trying to alert Social Services of this tragedy, Social Services finally removed her from this thorny patch of her life and she was placed in a loving foster home. Her faded beauty stared to shine just a little. During this same time my husband and I received the best Christmas card in 2002 explaining that our little Kimberly was safely placed back in foster care system and looks safe and well. This was our green light to try contacting her again. It took a little while to find a Social worker that would work in Kim’s best interest, but we were blessed by finding Ruth who was pleased to hear we were interested in contacting Kim. We wanted the opportunity to tell her we loved her and we never stopped thinking and praying for her. And too much to our surprise and delight we were asked to be her forever family.

This beautiful Rose has now lifted her wilted bud and now lets people see her beautiful eyes, smile and is starting to trust adults. She has come along way in a few short years; we celebrate the small moments in Kim’s life and look forward to many more.

A note from Kim: I don’t feel kids should always be placed with your first parents. We were taken for a reason and the reason is to keep us safe. So please help keep other kids safe.