Two years ago, when I arrived in the UP, one of the things that came with me was a rock.  I had picked the rock up off a sidewalk where it just seemed to be tempting someone to throw it through a windshield.  My daughter grabbed it out of my car one day and painted “Say Yes to New Adventure” for me.  I haven’t looked at it for a while, but that rock is still in my office.  As I think back over the last two years, moving to the UP and working at Teaching Family Homes has definitely been a great new adventure.  The last two years have had their ups and downs.  There have been moments of pure joy and other moments of great frustration.  However, looking back I would not change it.  I am very glad I came on this new adventure. 

I want to thank each of you for signing on for the Teaching Family Homes adventure.  For some of you it is a new adventure; for others it has been an adventure of many years.   It is an adventure with many ups and downs.  There is great joy in seeing a child’s life changed or a family moving down a new path.  It is frustrating when no matter how much we advocate we can’t seem to help turn a situation around or we see youth and families making choices that will hurt them in the long run.  There are ups and downs as we navigate the workplace with co-workers, leaders, and policies.  Sometimes we are happy with the changes that come.  Sometimes the changes don’t make sense to us.  Through it all, thank you for being a part of the journey.  It is all of you who make Teaching Family Homes what it is and are laying the foundation for what Teaching Family Homes will be in the future. 

In the next month our strategic planning team will be meeting to look at future directions for Teaching Family Homes.  Thank you to all who have already expressed their interest in joining the team.  We are still looking for a few more people, particularly from the group homes.  If you would like to participate on the strategic planning team please drop me an email at jsanter@tfhomes.org. 

Thank you again for being part of our adventure at Teaching Family Homes. 

Jennifer