These are my grandchildren in Calgary. Madeline, Rebecca, Michael, Mathew and Roland and Rachel hasn't been born yet. Great pic, Jerri, thanks for sending it to me. When I lived in Okotoks I was a foster mom to Jerri Black who was 14. I was teaching a class of students who were Trainably Mentally Handicapped. Some of the students I had taught at Joe Clark Elementary School in High River. Claudine Powderface was a sweet gentle young girl. When she came to me three or four years from this time she didn't talk. It was such an honour to be around as she blossomed and started talking and gaining confidence and learning. Her foster mom, Carol, was planning on moving to Saskatchewan to help out on her brother's farm and you can't take foster children out of the province so Claudine was going to have to look for another home. So, I thought I would love to get her as a foster child so I applied to be a foster parent and took the course and got qualified. As it turned out Carol didn't go to Saskatchewan but I was still qualified to take a foster child so the Social Worker came to me one day at school. She had an emergency situation and had to place a young girl with long black hair whose locker was outside my classroom. There was this young girl with long black hair that came to my room for lunch every day and I thought it was her and I said sure I would take her. When the Social Worker took me upstairs in the school to introduce me to Jerri it was not the same girl but....I had already said that I would take her so I did. That summer we went to the east coast and we took Jerri with us. She was great with Sarah and Kate who were 4 and 7 years old. She was very quiet but was good in the van, considerate enough not to smoke until we stopped and gave her time to smoke outside the van. It was great introducing her to my family in Ontario. When Jerri became 16 or 17 she left home with another teenager in the house Jill. Jerri continued to be my daughter and to this day she is in her 40's and is still my daughter. I don't get to see her as often as I would like. She now has 6 children and I am their Gramma. I communicate with the older boys and girls on Facebook. Rachel and Roland are too young yet to be on Facebook. When we get together we have a big birthday party for everybody's birthdays and eat pizza. They are all great kids and Jerri has had a lot of difficulty with alcohol but she had done a great job with her kids and has never abandoned them.
She looked up her birth mom in Gleichen, Alberta but she has passed away since then. I'm glad she got to meet her.
Madeline is in her 20's now. Rebecca has a partner and two babies, Athena and , my great grandchildren. Michael must be close to 20 and Mathew close behind him. The boys live at Rebecca's. Rachel and Roland are in foster care but the whole family gets together often. There is lots of love there but life isn't easy. Jerri is trying to do her best. Much love to you Jerri and your lovely family I'm so glad to be your mom and their gramma and great gramma.
