What is a foster father? The dictionary says that 'foster' means 'to help to develop,' 'to cherish,' 'to bring up with care.' Cliff was a counselor at St. Anthony's Boys Home when he met a troubled young man named Mike. It wasn't long before Cliff took Mike into his own home, while continuing to mentor on his job as well. Cliff was an exemplary foster father. He helped teen kids develop good, healthy attitudes and to become young men who can make a difference in their community. He was a great encourager when things didn't go right.

Cliff cherished his only son, the way most fathers cherish a son, always wanting what was best for him. Cliff knew the importance of education and was a great model, taking extra college courses to learn new ideas, while making sure that Mike finished High School and got a diploma. Cliff had a wonderful sense of humor and was usually upbeat and positive. He was the Father that Mike's own alcoholic father could never be.

The one sadness in Cliff's life was knowing he had a daughter somewhere, from an earlier failed marriage. But even when heart and kidney problems accelerated, he never complained, just seemed to 'accept the things you cannot change.' His name was on the National Kidney Donor list for a time, but a match was never found. Then as his heart condition deteriorated, his name had to be removed from that list, a sad day for all of us who hoped things would turn out differently.

Cliff was a textbook for finances, always keeping financial affairs in right order. An image means 'to reflect, to mirror.' That is all Cliff would ever want--that his young protege's would somehow 'mirror' the example he had always tried to be. Yet his heart was heavy, not knowing his precious daughter. How joyful he was when he discovered, during his lengthy illness, that he was a grandpa again, through his daughter! They even came to visit him, during his last days, to establish that missing family connection.

The love that Cliff had poured out on Mike and his two children could now be shared with Mike's new found 'sister.' Mike could share what Cliff meant to him , so that she could become acquainted with the father she had not known, since she was a little girl.

Mike's mother had learned to 'let go' of Mike in 1986, when God sent Cliff into her son's life. She and Cliff had many long talks about how her 16 yr old son was coping with his teen years. She believes God knew that Mike needed something that she herself could not do for him. At the same time, her heart was sad, wondering where Cliff's little girl could be. She quietly took it upon herself to pray that somehow a reunion could happen. And when Mike called in 2004 and said the daughter had been found and they were planning a reunion date, his mom was overjoyed. God's timing is always perfect.

Thank God for foster parents and the love that comes only from the Great Father above, enabling them to help mold troubled children into responsible members of our Christian society here on earth. Somehow they will be rewarded for their dedicated committment. Cliff's reward turned out to be the finding of his own lost daughter. God indeed, knows what we need to find his peace!

signed: Mike's Mom, A very grateful parent