Before peace comes chaos, finding a home for yourself is never too late, where you get all the love you deserve. Life isn’t a bed of roses, and no matter how much you suffer, at the end of the day, there will always be a place you get to call ‘home’. Kyrsten, who came through years of abuse and neglect, finally found her forever family at the age of 22, when most people are settling down by themselves after graduating.
In 1992, Kyrsten came into her life, but was not celebrated enough as her mother, single parents struggled with addiction and abusive relationships. She found little time for her child and did not care much about her daughters. The conditions the three lived in were poor, and on days the hunger took over, the only option the children had was to survive on peanut butter. Thus, Kyrsten’s early years were nothing but full of trauma.
As the mother, on most days, passed out or did not return home, the girls, who were only toddlers at that time, learned to take care of themselves. Fair to say, they were always in survival mode. Kyrsten’s elder sister held her tight and greatly supported her. Only when Kyrsten turned five. The police took her away. With them, they had nothing except for the clothes they wore at that time, yet the girls were placed in foster care.
When they were little, the girls did not know what foster care was like and believed that someday, their mother would return to them. A year passed, and by now, Kyrsten knew that no one was returning to take them to the place they called ‘Home’.
Although the girls had spent over seven years in a home that had nothing for them, no food, they did not know what the word happiness meant, and the abuse they went through, no child ever deserved it.
Although life in foster care was way better than their life at home, a few events there, e.g., getting locked by an older guy at the foster care, further aggravated the emotional pain Kyrsten had stored for so many years. Kyrsten turned 11 and had one wish. It was to be adopted because it shouldn’t be the foster family.
Until she entered her teenage years, the girl had already faced rejection once, making her feel unlovable and a burden to everyone. The biological mother never returned, either, nor did she think much about her by now. The DHS told her how the cases where people wanted to adopt teenagers were rare and there were high chances that she might never find a family.
Thus, Kyrsten had no other option but to stay in the system long enough to get a quality education and at least graduate from high school after turning 18. She became a nanny and also had a small social circle. Life finally felt better until she was kicked out of her foster home, after which one of her friends’ families took her in.
The beautiful part of the story is that when Kyrsten shares how she wants to get adopted with her friend, the friend asks her to check if it is possible. Soon, at 22, she was officially a part of the family. On 27th March 2015, 22 years after her birth, someone finally made her feel wanted.
She is still taking her time healing and all the damage done. All these years will surely take time. However, Kyrsten knew God always had a plan, and he would someday fill her life with love and commitment. This is the power of faith!
