Come with me. Step aboard a 65 feet long yacht. Hold my hand, we’re going to cross the Atlantic. It’ll be tough: two thousand five hundred miles of water, only water, bucket loads of it. Don’t be mistaken though. It may be a sailing endeavour, but more than that, it’s a humbling human adventure. It’s about making small and big kiddies’ dreams come true. Hold on tight, we’re bound for gruesome watches, 3am, storm bound... What a voyage though! Incandescent sunsets, perfectly rounded orange moons, the milky way, pods of dolphins and perhaps even a few mermaids...
Welcome aboard. I’m Flo, a French chick living in Britain. At the age of 31, I had never sailed. But over the past three years, I have been out on the waters about a day a week to train myself with one single aim in mind: crossing an ocean once in my lifetime. What an awesome privilege. And when it comes to lifetime privileges, I have been blessed in more ways than one. At birth, I was abandoned. But after having been briefly cared for in children’s homes and foster families, I was adopted still at a tender age. And this has changed my life in ways I will never be able to fully grasp.
Take a child in public care by the hand. This is what I want to do. And as I sail across the Atlantic from Antigua to the Azores, I will try to raise a pound for every nautical mile I sail for these kids who are waiting. Those who haven’t yet had the chance I’ve had in life. These kids still have lives to live, dreams of their own to make come true. But some have difficulties picking up even the most of basics life skills. With the shadows of abandonment weighing on their souls, learning in the ‘usual’ fashion can become the hardest thing. They live in constant hope. Sometimes Hope stares them back in the face. And sometimes Hope gusts further gruelling storms… And what about those children’s carers, foster families and adoptive parents who do their best to face theses storms with them. They are on watch too. They take the helm of these little lives. For all those, the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) is here to support them in all aspects – be it emotional, educational or administrative. And BAAF's work is truly humbling.
Come with me. In the comfort of your armchair and through my blog (www.apoundamile.blogspot.com) , together we will cross the Atlantic. You will live through the ups and downs of sharing a 65 feet long boat with 15 people I have never met before, feel the sheer joy of sailing fast, the gruesome reality of awful storms and the gob-smacking beauty this world has to offer. But most of all, together we will make a real difference to orphans living near us. Please support this endeavour by making any donation of your choice to the British Association for Adoption and Fostering via this page.
Come with me...