"There is no better gift to give a child than a family." -Unknown I have always admired the role that foster parents take in the lives of our at-risk youth. Opening their homes and their hearts to children that have experienced so much pain and neglect and hurt in their short lives is nothing short of remarkable. The harsh truth is that most children will age out of foster care, never knowing the feeling of belonging to a family. They are forced to face the world on their own. A difficult task made especially more difficult for vulnerable youth. Their fight to survive can lead them down the wrong path and these at-risk kids could very well become troubled adults on the wrong side of the law. Sadly, this is the outcome for most...but not all. Nineteen-year-old Meredith's mom died when she was only six years old. She lived with her grandparents and then roommates but said she was making "poor decisions". She came to live with foster parents, Zach and Anna in October. It didn't take them long to realize that they wanted Meredith in their lives permanently. They called a meeting with her for what she thought was to affirm her and give her encouragement. She did not expect what happened next. [HTML1] I can't even begin to imagine how wonderful it must feel to know that the people that have taken you in just as you were headed down the wrong path love you unconditionally and want you in their lives forever. "We are going to take care of you forever and protect you and love you and just have security knowing that we're always going to be here for you. This isn't going to end in six months. We're always going to be here for you." "I'm sorry that you've gone through all the hurt you have and I'm sorry we couldn't protect you from it." I don't believe more beautiful words have even been spoken. "Adopting one child won't change the world: but for that child, the world will change." - Unknown       featured image courtesy of Lauren Lionheart/Flickr