“She’ll never have to pack up her belongings and move again. She is home...forever,” the girl's mom said, after the adoption.
One of the worst feelings in life is when you know you don't have anyone to count on, especially as a child. So when a little girl in foster care wrote a letter to Santa in December 2019, all she asked for was a sweatsuit, a hydro flask, and to have a forever family.
The girl, named Maya, from Calera, Alabama, was being fostered by Dustin and Page Rogers since June 2018. The Rogers have fostered over 180 children in their Shelby County home for years, out of which they've adopted nine as their own. “We began fostering after I met several foster children in a childcare center I was working for,” Page said, according to WBRC. “Foster care truly changed our lives because it taught Dustin and I what it truly means to be a family.”
When Maya moved in, she was touched by the love among the family members. The fact that she witnessed Dustin and Page adopt four foster kids into the family also made her yearn for a family of her own.
"She cried through the entire adoption because she longed to have a forever family," said Dustin. When the Rogers asked their children, including Maya, to hand over their wishlists for Christmas, they were surprised by her wish to have a family.
Moved by the wish, Page and Dustin started the adoption process for Maya on November 8th. On December 19th, 2019, Jefferson County Judge, Elizabeth North signed their petition. Dustin and Page had officially adopted Maya.
On the day it was finalized, Page told her children she wanted to stop by the courthouse to simply take a picture. So, the children lined up and Maya was given a sign to hold. That sign read “Merry Christmas to me. I’m now an adoptee.” It also included her new name, Presley Louise Rogers.
The little girl had no idea her life was about to change until someone asked her to flip the sign over and read what was on it. When she realized what it said, the tears couldn’t stop flowing. "It was like, I was really happy," Presley said, with a big smile on her face, "I was really surprised."
The family of 12 ended their special day by going to Chuck-E-Cheese for a meal, said Page. “Today’s adoption was so special because she finally gets to have that feeling of ‘forever’ and stability,” Page said at the time. “She’ll never have to pack up her belongings and move again. She is home...forever.”
References:
https://www.wbrc.com/2019/12/20/sweet-moment-christmas-adoption-surprise-calera-ala/
Cover Image Source: Facebook | Mike Dubberly WBRC
