Every child needs a safe place to live, but belonging means more than simply having a bedroom, a seat at the table or an address to call their own. It means feeling seen, valued and included. It means knowing that their presence matters.

For a child entering foster or kinship care, that feeling may not come quickly. The child is arriving after experiencing separation, uncertainty or loss, and even the most welcoming home is still unfamiliar. New people, rules, foods and routines can make the child feel more like a visitor than a member of the household.

September is National Kinship Care Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the families who step up to provide love, stability, and safety for children when their parents are unable to care for them.

In 1777, one year after the Declaration of Independence was signed, Americans celebrated with fireworks, even though the war would not be concluded for years. The fireworks were set off as an enduring symbol of hope, freedom, prosperity, and the future. Now, two hundred and fifty years later, we have celebrated the Fourth again. This time, across the major cities of our nation, somewhere between twenty-five and fifty million dollars was spent on fireworks!

The most important thing a father may ever build is not a business or a house, but a fortress of security around their children. 

Today, I offer some points about fathers (daddies):

Strength isn’t noisy. 

Children often experience strength through consistency. A powerful daddy shows up every day, keeps his promises, and behaves as an anchor in the storm. Foster daddies do this exceptionally well because they step into the gap. They enter the fray and provide stability where none may have existed.

When we think about resilience, we often picture strength. We imagine someone who can withstand hardship, push through obstacles, and keep moving forward no matter what life throws their way.

Many children in foster care have demonstrated exactly that kind of strength.

Caring for others is meaningful work, but it can also be exhausting.

Whether you’re parenting, fostering, supporting a loved one, or simply carrying the weight of daily responsibilities, it’s easy to place your own needs at the bottom of the list. Many caregivers spend so much time making sure everyone else is okay that they forget to check in with themselves.

Our recent Hope Ranch gathering was truly something special. With around 100 people attending, CKFS families and staff came together for a day filled with connection, laughter, and fresh air in a beautiful outdoor setting.

The school principal was craving a What-A-Burger, so I volunteered to get one for him and his administrative assistant. We have all been friends for many years, as I have worked with kids on their campus.

As soon as the weather begins to warm, people flock to local nurseries, filling their carts with plants intended for pots and flower beds and windowsills. The bright green of the new growth and the promise of blooms have a way of lifting our moods and beautifying our surroundings. And each plant holds a quiet kind of hope…Hope that it will take root and with a little care, it will flourish.