{"id":98,"date":"2011-01-18T01:52:19","date_gmt":"2011-01-18T01:52:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/?page_id=98"},"modified":"2012-03-23T23:21:13","modified_gmt":"2012-03-23T23:21:13","slug":"our-story-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/?page_id=98","title":{"rendered":"Our Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In November of 2005, the school psychologist came to me and asked if I would take a student into my second-grade class. \u00a0His name was Andrew and his current teacher was unable to handle him. \u00a0She told me that he was intelligent, but dying on the vine. \u00a0It turned out that Andrew had multiple issues. \u00a0He couldn\u2019t remain seated for any length of time, didn\u2019t read, fought often, and God help the kid next to him if he had a pencil or any other sharp object!<\/p>\n

Andrew did, however, prove to be very intelligent. \u00a0He caught on quickly and responded to structure. \u00a0In mid-March of 2006, Andrew was called from class to receive the news that his mother had died. \u00a0Andrew\u2019s father had disappeared before he was born. \u00a0Andrew was now an orphan.<\/p>\n

Andrew had four uncles, but none of them were able to take on the responsibility of a child. \u00a0At last, the oldest uncle took him in. \u00a0Uncle Angel was in his mid-sixties, had multiple health issues, illegal, and did not speak\u00a0 English. \u00a0Although his heart was in the right place, his abilities failed and the state was getting ready to take Andrew into the foster system.<\/p>\n

Again, the psychologist came to tell me the bad news. \u00a0Our friendship had deepened and she wondered out loud if I would ever consider adopting Andrew. \u00a0 Not only had I considered it, I felt deeply that I was supposed to be Andrew\u2019s father. \u00a0Unfortunately, there were many obstacles in my way that prohibited me from stepping in. \u00a0Namely, I was in a relationship with someone who wanted nothing to do with a child, living in a house that was under major reconstruction, and in the midst of getting a master\u2019s degree. \u00a0I was so upset that I wasn\u2019t able to take Andrew that I even looked to my friends to take him in. \u00a0One of those friends came close and even met Andrew. \u00a0As he got closer to making a decision, I was deeply disturbed by the pounding in my heart that it was I who should be Andrew\u2019s father. \u00a0 That evening, I got on my knees and prayed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear God, \u00a0 I hear you loud and clear. I know that I\u2019m supposed to be Andrew\u2019s father. \u00a0There are so many obstacles in the way, not the least of which is my relationship. \u00a0But if you open the door, I will walk through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That prayer was on a Thursday night. \u00a0On Sunday morning, I woke up single. \u00a0It was unforeseen, unprovoked, and a complete surprise. \u00a0I walked into the school on Monday morning and announced to the psychologist that I would be taking Andrew.<\/p>\n

By Friday, Andrew was living with me. \u00a0Within two weeks I had temporary custody. \u00a0Within another month, I was Andrew\u2019s legal guardian and father.<\/p>\n

When I got Andrew he was addicted to fast food, exhibited signs of ADHD, and possible spectrum disorder. \u00a0He didn\u2019t know how to use a fork or a knife, barely read, and couldn\u2019t be left alone. \u00a0Most importantly, he had been through hell. \u00a0Within a year\u2019s time he had lost his mother, been physically abused by one uncle, and taken in by another only to lose him soon after. \u00a0He had been living in a studio apartment with no kitchen and a bathroom that they shared with other tenants. \u00a0 And he still hadn\u2019t cried since his mother\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

If I had understood the responsibility I had taken on, it may not have happened. \u00a0I suppose it\u2019s like that for every new parent. \u00a0And like all the parents before me, I did what was needed to be done: \u00a0I fed him.<\/p>\n

This blog is the story of how one meal led to another and how many meals led to great healing\u2026for Andrew and for me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In November of 2005, the school psychologist came to me and asked if I would take a student into my second-grade class. \u00a0His name was Andrew and his current teacher was unable to handle him. \u00a0She told me that he was intelligent, but dying on the vine. \u00a0It turned out that Andrew had multiple issues. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-98","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=98"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1022,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98\/revisions\/1022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=98"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}