Never Give Up!!

Follower of Christ, Husband, Dad, jack of all trades & master of many. Always keep your feet moving and your direction sure.

[thetonycross]

Everyone needs a Sheppy

Everyone needs a Sheppy

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[thetonycross]

8 is Great: Happy Birthday

Stay focused, always learning, lean into Jesus, and always be kind. Don't forget, I love you.

Sanders and Shep as ring bearers at their sisters wedding You had just turned three, and you loved firetrucks. We had just happened to live near a fire station at the time and got a chance on your birthday to tour and sit in a firetruck. You were in heaven. Fast forward to 2023 and you have turned 8 and are growing in self-confidence and in becoming a strong and focused young man. You started…

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[thetonycross]

You're 17 Birthday Boy

There's a lot to be said when you are the baby of the family and then one day you are asked to become the middle child due to your parents jumping into foster care.

There’s a lot to be said when you are the baby of the family and then one day you are asked to become the middle child due to your parents jumping into foster care. It really overturns your world and your perspective, especially when there is five and ten years difference between you and your older siblings. As the baby, you got “special” treatment as your sisters used to say. That you as a baby…

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[thetonycross]

the dash

A good name is better than precious ointment,and the day of death than the day of birth. Ecclesiastes 7:1 The shortness of life. By Francis Quarles And what’s a life? A weary pilgrimage,Whose glory in one day doth fill the stageWith childhood, manhood, and decrepit age. And what’s a life? The flourishing arrayOf the proud summer-meadow, which to-dayWears her green plush, and is to-morrow…

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[thetonycross]

Happy Gotcha Day SG!!

Little did we know that our world as we know it will change.

What notable things happened today?this was to go live on June 16, 2023 Becoming a dad to Sadie Grace after we had adopted her siblings, to which we had no idea that bio mom would give birth just 6 months post adoption of our boys. She showed no signs and had lost touch since we had gathered at the courthouse for the TPR (termination of parental rights) trial in the summer of 2019. Little did we…

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[thetonycross]

May 8th: foster care myths

Myth: Children in foster care are all “bad” kids who have done something wrong. Reality: Children enter foster care for a variety of reasons, including neglect, abuse, abandonment, and other family circumstances beyond their control. Foster children are not inherently “bad.”

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[thetonycross]

May 7th Foster care myths

May 7th Foster care myths

Myth: Foster children are difficult and hard to manage. Reality: Some children in foster care may have behavioral or emotional challenges due to their past experiences, but with proper support and care, they can thrive and overcome these challenges.

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[thetonycross]

Baby girl no more-look at you

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[thetonycross]

Foster Care Myths

Many myths and inaccuracies surround foster care. I’ll make a few posts about the most frequent that I have run across as a foster parent. Myth: Foster parents are only in it for the money. Reality: Foster parents receive financial support to help cover the cost of caring for a child, but most foster parents do it because they want to help children in need. In all actuality, it comes out to less…

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[thetonycross]

May 3rd: foster care awareness month

One great time in our foster care journey was when we had 4 children under the age of 6 in our home. Two were our boys that we had just adopted after they were in foster care for over 600 plus days and the other set of siblings came to us in April of 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. It was challenging and fun at the same time. Those days flew by and our home was full of laughter and fun. We…

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[thetonycross]

May 2nd: Foster care awareness our story

Foster care for use started in 2017 but rewind that back to our first awareness and we would tell you 2009. We went to an adoption and foster care conference at Hillcrest Baptist church. We were curious, interested but clueless for sure. Fast forward to 2016 when as kindergarten Sunday school teachers saw the need through the eyes of the children coming into our class. I’ll tell you the classes…

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[thetonycross]

May is National Foster Care Month

How do you use social media? For us it all began when we taught Sunday school for kindergarteners and we met these little ones who were coming to church with their foster parents or home parents. They looked like any other child, nothing made them stand out particularly but it was the fact that they were removed from their homes due to circumstances beyond their control. Each one created in the…

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[thetonycross]

My biggest career move

Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow. So, back in 2005 I was in the medical field and getting ready to test for my registry exam in vascular ultrasound. I really loved helping others in the medical field but I really got fed up with the mess that I had to do to obtain my registry for vascular and was basically turned down due to not having a four year degree.…

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[thetonycross]

I married up

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[thetonycross]

The main thing that makes me nervous is a failure to provide for my family. I put them in three buckets.

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[thetonycross]

Stressful day? Just count your blessings

How do you unwind after a demanding day? Let me give an example of a particularly demanding day that was more stress related than anything. I happened to be on my birthday last year and I was in the office when my senior archaeologist asked for me to come back and talk. We usually do this to see what questions are on tasks. When I sat down he asked about what I had reported on my weekly report.…

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[thetonycross]

Stressful day? Just count your blessings

How do you unwind after a demanding day? Let me give an example of a particularly demanding day that was more stress related than anything. I happened to be on my birthday last year and I was in the office when my senior archaeologist asked for me to come back and talk. We usually do this to see what questions are on tasks. When I sat down he asked about what I had reported on my weekly report.…

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