Rescued Again

To understand this post, you may want to begin with the June 5 post and read up to this point. Keep in mind that this story is "what God has brought me through." This is going to be the last post in this series, for now.


Terry and I visited Betty in the hospital. I can remember standing next to Terry, listening to Aunt Betty. I don't remember what she said, but I knew she was going to die. I don't remember who was keeping us, unless it was my cousin Pat. He was nineteen, the oldest of Betty's two children.

Pat talked with Minnie across the street about what to do about us. Together, they decided not to call Child Protective Services, but called churches to see if someone, out of the goodness of their heart and Christian duty, would want to take care of these orphan children. Terry was a few weeks from her eighth birthday, I was almost seven, Doug was about to turn five, and Janet had just turned two. Someone answered the call.

Otta Mae Barnett was a church secretary and the mother of three daughters. The oldest daughter had recently gotten married, and the two other girls were still in high school. Her husband, Ed Barnett had a livestock trucking company and was a cowboy. With a heart full of compassion, Otta Mae talked Ed into picking up the four of us that afternoon after Terry and I got out of school -- "rescue 911." The Barnett's became our parents, and Gayle, Edalyn, and Paula became our sisters.

Another chapter (probably more like Part IV) in my life began at this point. As you can imagine, the next twelve years were very challenging -- for everybody. There was virtually no preparation or therapy for anyone. Today, this type of arrangement would not happen. There is so much more understanding of the affects of attachment issues and trauma on children today. Foster/Adopt parents also have required training and home studies before arrangements are made. If what happened to us, happened today, we would have been placed into experienced foster care families, had caseworkers and therapist. However, there is a good chance that we would not have stayed together, for better or worse.

My mom, Otta Mae, is living and is in good health. Big Ed, my father, died in 1994. My mom is married again to a very kind man after being widowed twice. I have written before that she has probably had the greatest influence on my life. I can not say that I would be a "believer" today if it wasn't for her faith.

For now, I don't think I am going to continue the story about our foster care and adoption years with the Barnetts. I may pick up my story in the future. However, I do have some very strong feelings about foster care, adoption (especially "older child,"), child abuse, fathering, etc., that I may share.