My *other* kids

Nothing going on at the moment with foster care or respite, so I'll talk about another passion of mine. I have several sponsored kids. It started with one child when I was 24 and then snowballed. I sponsor 3 through Compassion International and then write to another 7 that have sponsors, but their sponsors do not write [aka, my "writing buddies"]. I also have a child I sponsor from a second organization. The kids range from 6 to 18 and are all over the place including Ethiopia, Uganda, Guatemala, Philippines, India, Ecuador, Honduras, etc.

I love my kids...but I just don't have the time to write like I used to. Some people complain their sponsored kids never write...not me! I only have 2 girls that write pretty much at the "required" intervals, 4 times a year, the rest write much more often. One child sends me at least 3 letters a month...and pictures [which are treasured, it's rare to receive photographs beyond annual pictures]. I've had her mother write me separately, as well as her case worker. I have a little boy that writes almost as much, about twice a month. They are such grateful, loving children. Can I brag that both of these kids are now listed as "above average" in school performance? Do they make bumper stickers that say "My Sponsored Child is Smarter Than Your Honor Student"? Probably not... I digress. The point is, the letters can really add up if I don't tackle them as they come. I tend to wait until I have a couple to respond to since I can use a flat rate envelope and send them all at once.

This time I waited a little too long. Since I last wrote in April, I had over 25 30 letters to respond to from 11 different children. I did good and only missed one birthday by a few weeks. It took me several hours each night after work last week to reply to their letters and fill out all the postcards I've picked up for them the last few months. I made them copies of the photos they sent me and picked out items to include with my letters like coloring books, paper airplanes, bookmarks, stickers, etc. Anything I can find that is flat and made of paper is ok to send—it can be a challenge finding new things, but it is fun, none-the-less.

By the time I was done and made my way to the post office last night [thank goodness for 24-hour postal machines], I had managed to package up over 7.5 pounds worth of letters! I always feel so good to finally make it to the post office. I know it will probably be at least 2 months before most of the kids get my replies, but I know they are safely en route. A huge weight [no pun intended] has been lifted from my shoulders...yet...I can't wait to receive my next letter so I can start all over again!

And a plug... I can't not...

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