Behind the Name
Welcome to A Fostered Love (AFL). If you’ve followed me for a bit then you’ve seen the transitions I’ve gone through with this space. Thank you for sticking with me. If you’re new here, thank you for stopping by.
The past couple of years have felt like slow, dedicated and intentional growth, but if I’m being honest, it felt frustrating. I wrestled with feeling inadequate and wrestled with the fact that I wasn’t able to “nail” down the heart and soul of A Fostered Love. Instead of giving up on the idea, however I kept pouring my heart out in books and conversations with close friends. Little by little, I would write down the vision for this space. My heart, dreams and desires. I would create and ponder and then create some more, until I finally felt it was time to pivot and make some changes.
What you see in this logo is a labor of intentional love and prayer. I reached out to a dear sister, Israel Keefe, who’s artwork is stunning and I knew she was the one to help breathe life into this logo. I explained the heart and vision for AFL and the ideas I had for the logo. She caught the vision, but paused and said, “Mia, let me pray about this too.” I was shocked. I’ve never met a graphic artist, who prayed about the logo they created and I knew that it was going to be even better than what I dreamed or imagined. After some back and forth, Israel drew this logo by hand (yes, you read that correctly). When she shared the logo with me, I had no words.
See, I wanted AFL to be more than another website talking about trauma, resources and more. There are plenty of amazing accounts out there, who are already doing that work. I wanted this space to be set apart, pointing back to the One, who ultimately does the mysterious, yet intentional work of healing. When I really sat down before Yahweh, praying about this logo I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was supposed to be “more.” All He asked was that I give it back to Him, completely. I realized this was the basis of my struggle because I recognize and hold space that you may be coming to the table with your own experience about God. And I value and see that. I also, can’t separate His faithfulness and goodness in my life and that the reason you see this space today is because of Him. Fear has kept me from really merging the two spaces, knowing that I may get backlash, but please hear my heart for a moment.
You see, I can’t separate my story of healing and growth without sharing how He is woven in every fiber of it. For this logo, the hand you see drawn is a representation of His hand gently transporting the plant to a place of good soil (environment). Something He intricately does in the process of restoration. Next, when you look at the dahlia plant, notice how there are five different stages of growth. It speaks to the fact that everyone is on a different part of their healing journey, one does not overpower the other, but all stages are important. Finally, the circular nature of the logo represents how life is not linear, but rather cyclical, just take a look at the seasons. Healing is the same way. It is cyclical, ebbing and flowing. I don’t pretend or think that healing is easy. I simply encourage you to come as you are.
There is more to this logo and name, but that is the heart of AFL. My hope in this space is that as I share resources about growth and healing that it will help you in your journey whether you are impacted by foster care/adoption or not. I’ve chosen specifically to focus on foster care/adoption because I was adopted from foster care as an older child. My journey was not easy and it wasn’t until I became an adult that I started to function in my purpose and calling. I worked hard to heal and I also recognize that healing continues, but I am at a space where I can begin sharing and pouring into others. I am by no means, perfect and am showing up in this space in all my imperfection. I hope that it is encourages you to start where you are, doing exactly what you were always made to do.
