CatherineM Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 We have an appointment at the school tomorrow to get him tested. The new semester here starts February 1, so we should have enough time to get it all taken care of. We also found his dad today at the homeless shelter downtown, and we are going to buy him lunch tomorrow in order to get him to sign a guardianship over to us. He sounded like he was sober, and was willing to do it. That will save us a lot of hassel. The social worker at children services today was very helpful. We wanted to make sure that we weren't going to get into legal trouble for providing him a home. She is dealing with a work load of kids that are being tricked out by family members, or beaten half to death, so a 17 year old who is being loved and cared for is well down on her radar of issues. We got an appointment for Tuesday to start filling out his paperwork for benefits. We hope to get the lease finished tomorrow. The electric is already on and we had copies of the keys made today. His cadet group is collecting furniture, so he may get to move in this weekend. He's obviously thrilled to be getting out of his old house. I don't think it is just the cold and wet, or the family issues. I think it is hard to live there now that his mom is gone. I know when my dad died, I constantly expected him to come down the hall or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrincessKRS Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I will keep praying for him. I am sure he's really grateful for all you are doing to help him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 We got it done. All it took was taking his dad out to eat. We had a delightful lunch. His dad was clean and sober, and has apparently been since Zack's mom died. He said he realized that he needed to live because the kids might need him. The Hope Mission has given him a suite in one of their shelters upstairs, and he is working there part time. He's getting some long delayed medical treatment, and they discovered a growth on his liver that might be cancer. We'll deal with that when it comes up. He signed the paperwork, and his dad was especially upset when he found out that the sisters wanted him to skip school to babysit everyday. We took it to the school to finish his enrollment. He starts February 1st when the semester starts here. Then a trip to the probation officer to change his guardianship with her and the address. She was thrilled to know we were going to take care of Zack. She deals with lots of kids that are on the street because their moms have died or gone to jail. While I took Zack shopping for school supplies, Austin dealt with the lease issues, and he can move in tomorrow. So we picked out backpacks and binders and calculators at one place, and cleaning supplies and shower curtains at another place. He was so excited at the dollar store that he spun the shopping cart in circles while waiting in line. Who knew you could get so excited about a mop and broom? His dad was very appreciative. We told him that we had been very blessed in our lives, and feel grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in Zack's life. He's going to pack tonight, and we are going to pick him up tomorrow early in the morning to hopefully limit the drama that will take place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Red Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Catherine, I have tears in my eyes over you & your husband taking care of this boy. my most fervent thanks and prayers for you two! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheresaThoma Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Catherine, I am so glad that things are working themselves out! That is such good news about his dad being clean and sober. I will pray that the doctors can figure out what is wrong soon. I will give thanks to God tonight for what He has done thus far and continue my prayers for all of you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Thanks guys. We went over to the Marian Centre to have the priest and oblate sign as witnesses to the document. Afterwards Zack went with his dad to see his suite at the shelter and we got to talk to a couple of our favorite people there. I told them that it amazes me sometimes how God continues to put us in the right place with the right gifts to do his will. Not everyone has been supportive. Some of our friends think we have lost our mind, and why would we want the headache and financial hit. The nun at Catholic Social Services think we are destroying the family. Our priests don't quiet understand all the personalities involved since most of Zack's family have never set foot in church except for the funeral. Some people think we are in it for the money, for some strange reason. I haven't told my family yet because I just haven't had the time, but I can just imagine. His sisters are going to be so mad that we are dreading the drama that may happen tomorrow. I've seen the division of property that goes on during divorces, and I'm kind of worried I'm going to see that kind of anger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrincessKRS Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I'll be praying for you guys extra tomorrow. You'll be amesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil'Monster Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Prayers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regina_coeli Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 More prayers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I've been off Phatmass for a few days (too much to do, to little time...) but still praying, and astonished at all that has happened! Obviously God's hand is in all of this. Sometimes the professionals can lose sight of both the forest and the individual trees..... we will have to pray for Sister and the others who seem to be in this position. It's hard to do that work and be able to get the objectivity to see a situation like this. Let's all remember to pray for all involved.... we don't want to write off Zach's family, even while we aren't encouraging their exploitation and/or encouraging any kind of enabling. A very tough tightrope to walk! My gut and my soul (different things!) tell me you are on the right path here, Catherine, and I rejoice for Zach.... such a wonderful few weeks even in the midst of so much sorrow. What a great image - wheelys in a store over cleaning stuff! Who would have thought! [img]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2722/4246410581_196bab3bcd_z.jpg[/img] I think you are SUPERHEROES!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 We got him moved in. It only took two trips because we had two minivans. We went at 8am to do it while the rest of his family was asleep. It was -27 degrees and snowing but he and his best friend got it done. He's taking his first shower in two months. The shower in his old house had quit working and he was bending his 6'3" frame into a small bathtub. We are off next to the Marian Centre to pick up four boxes of kitchen stuff. One of their elderly volunteers died and left all her household stuff to them. I fixed up an old laptop for him that he can use our wifi with. So to say that he is excited is an understatement. We could heat this whole building with the energy he is putting off. The dog is picking up on the energy, and is running circles through the kitchen and dining room. It's a basset Indy 500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandelynmarie Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Just a thought, I don't remember if you told us what faith Zach has, but do you think he would like a priest to bless his apartment? Just thinking it could only help. I am soooo happy for him & how you guys have always tried to do the right things for the right reasons for him. Many, many more prayers for Zach, his family & for you & your family...for continued peace & healing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hermanita Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 [quote name='CatherineM' timestamp='1327106712' post='2372336'] We got it done. All it took was taking his dad out to eat. We had a delightful lunch. His dad was clean and sober, and has apparently been since Zack's mom died. He said he realized that he needed to live because the kids might need him. The Hope Mission has given him a suite in one of their shelters upstairs, and he is working there part time. He's getting some long delayed medical treatment, and they discovered a growth on his liver that might be cancer. We'll deal with that when it comes up. He signed the paperwork, and his dad was especially upset when he found out that the sisters wanted him to skip school to babysit everyday. We took it to the school to finish his enrollment. He starts February 1st when the semester starts here. Then a trip to the probation officer to change his guardianship with her and the address. She was thrilled to know we were going to take care of Zack. She deals with lots of kids that are on the street because their moms have died or gone to jail. While I took Zack shopping for school supplies, Austin dealt with the lease issues, and he can move in tomorrow. So we picked out backpacks and binders and calculators at one place, and cleaning supplies and shower curtains at another place. He was so excited at the dollar store that he spun the shopping cart in circles while waiting in line. Who knew you could get so excited about a mop and broom? His dad was very appreciative. We told him that we had been very blessed in our lives, and feel grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in Zack's life. He's going to pack tonight, and we are going to pick him up tomorrow early in the morning to hopefully limit the drama that will take place. [/quote] Thank God. Thank God. Thank God! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 He picked red and black as a color scheme for his sheets and towels. His best friend is 15 and wants to know if he can move in too. Not sure his mom would like that. I have no intention of running a no-kill shelter for teenagers. We will have a priest bless his place. He's a former altar boy who volunteers at the stadium for the church, so they won't have a problem doing it once they recover from all the funerals. Just want to thank everyone for the prayers. They have made all the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 We had an appointment with his new social worker yesterday. As suspected she seemed puzzled about why we would take in a child that wasn't a family member. Once she figured out we weren't doing this to trick him out on the internet, she warmed up to us. I thought at one point that she was going to try to send more kids home with us. He had another court appearance today. It looks like next Monday will be the day he finds out his fate. They are thinking that he'll get probation, but I'm going to wait and see. He got his official cadet uniform on Monday. It took awhile to come in because they had to get it from Ontario because of how long his legs are. He actually got saluted at the grocery store by a security guard. I told him that feeling of being respected is so powerful, that you will want to live your life in such a manner that you will get to feel respected every day. It starts with respecting yourself. He's in playing Wii with the hubby right now. I'm really proud of how well he is handling all this stuff. His parole officer wants a picture of him in his cadet uniform for her wall. She doesn't get a lot of successes unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now