I was mesmerized yesterday when I was listening to a story about a young woman who was discussing her life as she grew up in the foster care system.  She was in the system since age two and never found a permanent family to adopt her.  As she was speaking to the interviewer she indicated that she had been very lucky to have found life long friends and mentors who helped her during the course of her development.  Although at first I thought she was going to speak about the disappointment that she was never able to find a permanent family, she ended that sentence by indicating that sometimes things work out differently for some people.  Amazingly, there was no sense of bitterness or resentment in her voice as she spoke quite vibrantly of the people that helped guide her to where she is today.  As she ended her interview the reporter told her that she was going to make a wonderful family of her own some day, given the superior attitude that she developed about her perspective of what a family means along with her own values.  I could not stop thinking about how someone from age two until adulthood could grow up without stable familiar kinfolk to call your own.  We all know people around us who have grown up with a complete family unit in tact and even then, some of those individuals have a hard time adjusting to life.  Many people have grown up with a single parent family and while they too may have struggled to find a good balance of familial representation, it may have been difficult for these people to pick up the pieces as adults.  It made me wonder out loud as to why some of these unique individuals that were not provided the stability or foundation of a family, still become successful adults and flourish despite all of these circumstances.  I think that these individuals are sometimes the examples that we need to point to when all of the things in our upbringing may not have been the most ideal.  The fact that these individuals surround us, tells me that we need to have a lot more faith in people along with demonstrating compassion for others that may not have what we have.   It is the disposition that you choose to embrace as you move forward that has tremendous power, which can help one overcome those cracks that may have existed in your life foundation.  The next time you think you may have had a tough beginning to your life, remember the story of the young woman who was never adopted.  Hopefully, you will also remember that she grew up to be a well rounded adult whose light shines so bright that this is all that the world is able to see.