Kudos to these young men and women for succeeding when they who could have easily become another statistic of failed parenting.  When I was young my father left and my mother rest her soul was on drugs leaving us in the care of my grandmother who struggled to raise us.  I can't imagine how it must feel be to be abandoned and forced to live with strangers.  I know for me, there was a lot of anger and bitterness for a long time.  Some of it is still there but I try to make the best of a bad situation.  Hopefully these young men and women will be able to do the same and put their past behind them and not succumb to the temptation to do what I hear adults doing so often - blaming their present-day problems on their troubled past.  I have the utmost respect and admiration for anyone who can rise above their station and say "this may be where I am or where I was born but by God here's where I'm going!" and put their hearts and minds into achieving their goals and making their dreams a reality.  One of my favorite multi-millionaire's once said "once you're poor, you're never rich".  I think this addage applies here.  These foster children will carry the experience of being in the system with them for the rest of their lives, but it is my sincerest desire that they are able to look back on their experiences, learn from their struggles and use them as a source of strength for the challenges that lie ahead. 

God bless those foster parents who opened their hearts and homes to these children and kids, if you're reading this, I hope one day you consider fostering children of your own.  The fact you were in the program puts you in a unique position whereby your experience could be invaluable to others in a similar sitaution and with your help they can have a better chance of coping and becoming successful themselves.  People talk about the cycle of drugs that repeats itself one generation after another but since you've broken that cycle you'll find that as adults your experiences will be invaluable in helping others to do the same.  I've been there myself, and I know, and there's nothing more rewarding than helping others achieve the same dreams that I once aspired to and then watching them do it.  Good luck to you and God bless you all.

BB ... Thanks for that.