Ricky,
I couldn't find the message I wanted to respond to, but you had mentioned
that your brother was letting you look after his children and that it really
made you feel good to know that he trusted you with them. I just wanted you
to know that even though our circumstances are somewhat different, I do know
how you feel, and I can relate to it very well.
In our situation a Judge and the CPS workers believed that we could not 
"protect" our daughter (the youngest of 7 children) and she is presently in
a foster home. A neighbor of ours, who knows the family very well, and knows
the entire situation, has trusted me with his two little ones. The children,
Daniel - age 4 and Ashley - age 3, are a handful, but I love them dearly and
they love me as well. Dan, their father, trusts me completely, and he knows
that his children are "safe" in my home and that I will not let anything
happen to them. He has continued to let me watch his children throughout our
entire ordeal. Just this past week he decided he needed a break and wanted to
go to Reno for 2 days. I was the first person he called to ask if I would 
take care of his children. Of course I said "yes", and we had a very pleasant
two days together. 
It was also very emotional for me because he could very easily have asked 
their mother to take them for that time, and he didn't - he asked me! He 
fought for custody of his children a year after his divorce, and he won due 
to her drug use and police record - so this is not a man who would
arbitrarily leave his children with just anyone. He will never know just how
much it meant to me to have him place so much trust in me and in my abilities
to protect the two people that are the most precious to him in the entire 
world. 
So I do understand how you feel, and it is a good feeling to be trusted after
the system has told you that you weren't worthy of that trust. I am very 
appy
for you and I think your brother is wonderful. I am so glad that you had this
experience and thank you for sharing it with us.
    Valery 
... "Scotty, beam me up another Blue Wave message."
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
--- Renegade v10-05 Exp
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