May 2018 - Keeping Our Promises
Last week I was helping a family clean out their room and noticed that one of the girls had carefully tucked each stuffed animal under her covers, heads lined up on her pillow. In a time of radical transition, this tender and deliberate act of nurturing has stuck with me.
Beyond the flowers or cards we might receive this Mother's Day and Father's Day is the deeper gratitude for the promise all parents make to their children - to care for them, protect them, guide them, tuck them in at night. In times of trauma, this promise becomes even more important. Not only do hands need to be washed and mouths fed - but fear needs to be chased away, kids need to be pulled in close, hope needs to be relentlessly pursued. It is a tall order for any parent.
Last month I snapped the picture above of a mom and her kids moving out of our shelter, keys in hand. It was an awesome moment and symbolizes the kind of beautiful stories we help create in Family Promise all year long - the stories of parents making good on their fundamental promise to keep their children safe and secure and to help them flourish. Anyone who touches this organization knows what a privilege and an honor it is to bear witness to these promises kept.
Luanne Firestone, Executive Director