Book to be Released Soon!

July 20, 2018August 16, 2018 / Susan Woodward

28 True Post-Adoption Stories to Comfort and Encourage

Hope for the Adoption Journey, compiled by Katherine Piper, features the heartrending stories of twenty-eight women from very different circumstances who have personal experience with adopting and fostering children, both domestic and international, of various ages and backgrounds, with a wide range of needs—and who have endured to share their joy.

Are you a mother facing the chaos of adoption in your family?

Do you feel alone and overwhelmed with the struggle of adoption?

Or are you considering adoption and wondering if you can do it?

“Adoption can make your heart ache and your head spin, and it can turn things in your family upside down for a while. But the blessings do outweigh the chaos, and every struggle and disappointment too. Remember, you are not alone in this endeavor. There are many others who have been or are in the trenches with you. And God will never leave your side…

Love fiercely as He loves you.”

—Mother of adopted & foster children

(Susan Woodward)

All profits will be used to help prospective adoptive parents bring their children home.

Will be available on Amazon and Kindle, August 2018.

Book Website -Click Here

Seven Months With Precious Brothers

April 17, 2018April 17, 2018 / Susan Woodward / 2 Comments

my favorite thing about being a foster parent_dumas

We said yes and opened our home and our hearts once again seven months ago. This time for two little boys that were ages two and three. They are spunky, cautious but loving, stubborn, confused, hurt, and very silly little boys. They are Gods perfect little gifts who just needed a safe and loving place to grow and to heal. So, like many times before, we said yes! Yes, even knowing that a transition one day would be unbearably hard and that the loss would eventually hit us. Yes, knowing that one day all we would have is the memory of them and that we would miss so much.

A lot has been shared in seven months. Our family has made some special memories as we’ve committed to meeting their every need. Loving and caring for them has been difficult at times, but I’m convinced that living out your life’s passion doesn’t happen easily. God always provides the tools and he gives the right resources, but being obedient and taking on big tasks comes with some hard moments and lots of lessons learned.

Together over the last seven months, we experienced the loss of my husbands (Kent’s) two brothers and we faced some hard sad times. We also shared the fun and happy things that are involved with five different holidays together. (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines and Easter) It was an added bonus that both of the boys were able to celebrate their Birthdays in “Woodward Style”. (Loud and crazy chaos) They also helped in celebrating six of our family member’s birthdays during that time frame. We helped the youngest as he went through two surgeries and got many of his medical needs met. Both of the boys received emotional and developmental assistance to help with their care. We have practiced our patience over and over again…as we’ve taught them both how to communicate their emotions and deal with built up hurt and anger.

Seven months that may have flew on bye but that will never be forgotten. So many things shared within our family of twelve. Over time and with God’s grace we will heal… and we will learn to be a family of ten again.

There will be so many things I (we) will miss…

I’ll miss there little feet running to the table eager to eat anything served.
I’ll miss the excitement in their eyes when they have done well and are praised.
I’ll miss the silly songs, the little dances and the crazy jokes that make no sense.
I’ll miss reminding them to slow down and chew with their mouths closed.
I’ll miss watching paw patrol and power rangers every chance that they got.
I’ll miss the fits that have brought break through and helped in their healing.
I’ll miss teaching the simple things, like water doesn’t hurt and toilets are to pee in.
I’ll miss dodging action figures, LEGO’s and other toys with every step.
I’ll miss having little clothes in the laundry and many more miss matched socks.
I’ll miss reading, singing and talking to them about Jesus.
I’ll miss them taking turns and even arguing over whose turn it is to pray.
I’ll miss watching my other children love and adore them.
I’ll miss hearing them say “Mr. Kent will you hold me?” every night before bed.
I’ll miss them learning new things and watching the joy in completing a new task.
I’ll miss covering them up, giving them kisses and hugs and watching them sleep.

So much to Miss!!! But I won’t miss Praying for them. I know that God will continue to meet their needs. He has done it before, He will do it again. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. His love is sooooooo much greater than ours for them.

So, when I miss all of these things and much much more…I will do the only thing that has worked many times before. When my heart aches and my head is full of memories…i will do what always brings me peace…I will PRAY!

Our God will hear…Our God will protect…Our God will answer!

Blessings in the chaos.

February 13, 2017February 13, 2017 / Susan Woodward / 2 Comments

my favorite thing about being a foster parent_dumas Every Single Child deserves someone to love them and to believe in them. They deserve someone to be their advocate and to give them the resources they need to succeed in life. Every child deserves a forever home!

May God bless all of you that go above and beyond and are involved in Foster Care. You will win some and unfortunately loose many battles. You will rock lonely children to sleep, comfort and reassure those who are afraid, and speak life into young ones lives who have lost hope in themselves.

For all the appointments, meetings, trainings and court hearings…and for every sacrifice and or missed family event or function…I say, Thank you for your love and dedication to the child placed with you!

For every time you’ve questioned what you were doing, or wondered if you were really making a difference, please know…that you are!

For every time you are hurt and for every struggle you persevere through, may you feel Gods comfort and strength to continue on.

In a Foster Care system that is broken in many ways, remember there is a God who can take the broken pieces and make all things whole.

If you feel as if you are alone, know that you are not. There is an army of people who have similar hearts as yours. They get your worries and they can relate to the many frustrations that can come alongside of working with Social Services. So many other people understand the magnitude of the blessings you receive, even in the midst of your chaos.

Thank you! Thank you from the bottom of MY heart❤️

Keep doing what you do! You are making a difference! One child, one family, one situation at a time…You are changing the world!

We Have Gotcha…and We Will Never Let You Go!

August 24, 2015August 24, 2015 / Susan Woodward / 12 Comments

Happy Gotcha Day!!

We Have Gotcha and We Will Never Let You Go!

You didn’t grow under my heart. You grew in it!

(A letter I wrote but never mailed to her biological mother)

Dear Bio mom,

She was your child first…and we are sorry that you were unable to care for her. We really are. I know that you love her. There is no possible way that you couldn’t. She is amazing! She is one of our greatest joys! The Love you had for her just wasn’t enough. It didn’t keep her safe, nurture her and provide for her needs.

She has your eyes and your nose. She does some things just like her siblings. And her dance moves are especially like her oldest sister. We will always remember the love and time spent with all three of your girls in our home. It was hard because the visitations became damaging, caused confusing and went on way too long…

Your oldest daughter really wanted to be with you. It was so strange the devotion and obligation she had towards you. (You, the one who hurt her) Separation and attachment disorders are so crazy. She didn’t even know how to attach to anyone but you, because of it. So, when the courts ruled, we really struggled with the decision they made for us to transition her back to you. Nineteen months in our home and then it was like a bomb went off in our hearts…And you got another chance to parent. Not all five of your children…but just one. And the struggle was and is…still real for you.

Your actions and your choices, completely rocked their entire worlds. They were so innocent…so young…so helpless. It was scary for them. What were you thinking when you left them hungry, dirty and in danger? Who did you think would keep them safe when you left them in vehicles and motels alone? Or in stranger’s homes? You made them learn to fend for themselves. They all knew many survival techniques when they were removed. They had no choice but to learn on their own…how to survive…while you lived. So selfishly.

She was sickly and confused then. She has struggled in so many ways since we opened our home and heart to her EIGHT years ago. She was a frail and extremely tiny 18 months old. You had rocked her world…over and over again.

We rocked her world too! Every night…before bed…for over two years…as we held her and sat with her into the night. We rocked her. We comforted her. We stayed awake through the tremors and the sleepless nights. We put her back in her bed over and over again…and avoided stepping on her wherever she lay in the night. We still have “all night drifting parties” often. I wonder, will she ever sleep well? But I know by God’s grace she will…

We wished we could have kept some of the doors open with you. But we knew what was best for her, and this just wasn’t an option. We were open to keeping connections with her other 3 siblings. They make her light up when she sees them. It make our hearts happy too. After all, it isn’t their fault they were separated. They did nothing to deserve what they received. We may live forever having to change that thought process in her mind. But we will do whatever it takes!

We were never here to take her away from you. We were a part of a system to help you get yourself together. We offered a safe and loving environment for 3 of your children in order for you to do so. We always work towards reunification and we will never really understand why you never accomplished that. But we forgive you. I hope and pray you learn to forgive yourself…

Our role as Foster Parents was to care for your child while you worked hard toward goals placed upon you by the court. We were here to support you and we encouraged you to reach them. Time kept slipping away…court date after court date…You never took any steps towards achieving the goals placed before you. Not even for your children.

I had felt sorry for you, because she never asked about you. But now, as she has gotten older and we have talked about you many times…I am thankful she didn’t ask more when she was younger. It seems harsh, but it is best that her memory of you is so vague. She understands it was your choices that were bad and not anything bad that she did. She also knows, accepts and understands that God has worked things out for her. She has such a forgiving and kind heart. It saddens me that you may never know her beautiful heart. One that prays for you and others.

We are thankful God spared her from even more hurt. He has worked in her favor and on her behalf many times. She is His child first…and she didn’t go through an experience of great loss. We are all she knows and remembers….and His plan has been perfectly unfolding for her all along.

I need you to know that nothing that I could have said or done would have ever helped you get your children back. The choices that you made determined her future. A future that ended up with us as her parents. It is a future of…love, family, assurance, comfort, encouragement, care, persistence, safety, devotion and hope. The greater Hope that she has is eternal. She knows who’s she is!

I want you to know I am deeply sorry that you were ever in this situation to begin with. I know you still struggle. So, we will continue to pray for you. You can still do right, make good choices and get your life together. The same Eternal Hope that she possesses is obtainable for you too through Jesus.

You chose to give Birth! That is definitely something to be proud of! You chose life for your babies! We will forever be grateful for your decision to do so. Life is always…always a gift! And one of the lives you birthed became our precious Gift!

So today…..

Eight years ago exactly…(at 2:00 pm)

The court saw it in was in your child’s best interest to have all parental rights terminated! It was a sad day for you. I know it had to be. My heart broke for you.

But it was a beautiful day for all of us…and with a broken heart, I also rejoiced!

It became her very first Gotcha Day…

And one of many more to come!

Forever grateful,

The Adoptive Mom