Family

In my very first blog I had mentioned that my sister lost her kids and we hadn't seen them for a very long time. It's hard for me to talk about because parts of it are still painful to talk about, however I will tell you some of what happened and the emotions that went with it. Then I will update where things are today. Fifteen years ago someone called DCFS (Department of Child and Family Services) and that call changed my families life FOREVER. It was December 1997 about a week from Christmas when a social worker came and took my sister's (at the time) 4 children and we didn't see them again until April 1998, after my dad passed away he last time we saw them was my his funeral. Now my sister was a single parent and she did the best she could with what she had and we all helped her as much as possible. I was 20 years old when this happened the ages of my 2 niece's and 2 nephew's were 9, 7, 6, & 5. Now within the 4 months between when they were taken and my dad 's passing I felt as though my heart had been ripped out of my chest and torn to pieces, being an Aunt was and still is everything to me. We fought to get them back but DCFS thought that they would never be safe with us. But now after almost 16 years later I very happy to say that we have reconnected with all 4 of them and I'm one of the proudest Aunts, because of how they were raised which is because of their adoptive families. They grew up to be kind and caring adults and I know that my sister would be so proud of who they've become. I think I love them more now then I did then which is hard because I have always loved them like a mother would. One of them is married now and made me a Great Aunt to THE cutest baby in the world, one is engaged, and the other two are dating someone. On September 29, 2013 we got to see the youngest of the 4 it was one of the best days of my life.