August 2, 2010

“Well you just got five thousand points!!”

Little Shalynn had been to the arcade a few times in her life. But, she’s already racking up the tickets. It’s enough to put a smile on her face, but not enough to make her talk much. The 8-year-old is very shy, but sweet.

“I got two tickets...two tickets for me.”

Her beautiful brown eyes make Shalynn look a lot older than she is.

Those eyes also hide the struggle of being in and out of seven different foster homes, which makes her not hesitate when asked one question.

“Would you like a forever mommy and daddy?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you think you want a forever mommy and daddy so badly?”

“So, I don’t have to move.”

After we collected our tickets, Shalynn stared in wonder at all she could trade them in for

“The fan, what color fan do you want?”

“The blue.”

She needed the fan to give to her friend. She says she likes to add numbers. Her favorite subject is math. She also loves horses. The second grader doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up, but she does know now. She wants what she calls a real house. But, what she relly wants is a real family.

“I would like to have a mom and dad and a forever home.”