Sweet dreams are made of these, who am I to disagree?

Well maybe this particular dream wasn't so sweet, though it helped me come to some realizations that are both sweet and beautiful. I know that we sometimes use dreams to sort through things that we are puzzling about and dealing with sub-consciously. I think this was one of those. A glimpse of what's been rattling around in my brain: a big part of my job is going into homes of potential foster parents. At this initial consultation, I get to give couples a realistic view of being a foster parent and get a feel for if their family would be a good fit for placing children. I feel a responsibility as the 'front line of defense' to make sure that a home is an appropriate place for kids to land after being removed from a neglectful/abusive situation. That's serious business.
That brings me back to my dream.
As we have all experienced, sometimes things in dreams just don't make any sense, and they don't follow a logical order. Through a set of circumstances in this particular dream, I was pregnant with a baby that I was going to be required to place for adoption. It was heart-wrenching. I wanted to make sure (as any parent would) that this baby went to a family that would love it and give it the best life possible. My dream-self started going over the families that I had visited with as prospective foster parents, then I continued on and reflected on the many foster families that I have gotten to know over the years. I found peace as I realized that there were many, many families that I could choose from that would be exactly what I would wish for.
When I woke up, I was still very emotional. I cried for a half an hour. Then I started to genuinely ponder about the families that I had met with over the last couple of months and the foster families that I have become friends with over the past several years. I began to realize that my dream-self was on to something. These are genuine and amazing people. Their capacity to love is off the charts! They are not only a good and safe place for abused/neglected children to land, but if my own children needed a place to go, I would trust them with my beautiful children; the most precious part of my life.

Just as I achieved peace in my dream, this realization has brought me peace as I continue in this work. I am talking daily with families that are ready and willing to open their homes and their hearts to children who will most likely have difficult behaviors due to a difficult past. They are ready to love them through trust issues and low self-worth and the pain of being separated from loved ones. 
Now I know that not everyone with good intentions will be the right fit for these kids, but I feel lighter just knowing that there is a large number of highly appropriate families willing to make the sacrifices necessary to care for these kids. So, even though at the time, my dream was distressing, it has brought some truly sweet realizations into my life. Don't stress so much, these kids are in good hands.