by Trisha Merry
MIKE and I live with Carrie and Sam, four rescued dogs, two rescued cats and three ‘talking’ goldfish in a lovely old farmhouse, surrounded by beautiful countryside. Over the past fifty years we have taken into our home and our hearts nearly seven hundred children, most of whom have experienced the most difficult and traumatic childhoods before arriving on our doorstep, including many emergency placements and large sibling groups. Along the way, we adopted seven of these children and have another semi-adopted daughter. We now have seven wonderful grandchildren and we love spending time with them all.
Acknowledgements
To my dearest husband Mike, I want to thank you for being the best father, grandfather and husband. Your endless support, patience and humour have enabled me to play all my life.
To all my family who have been a part of this monumental journey, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank each and every one of you. Without your strength, courage and spirit, this family would not be how it is today. You are all a patchwork of personalities, and I love you all dearly.
To Jacquie, thank you for finally making my dream come true. You have allowed what has been a very traumatic journey to be turned into a chapter of positivity and finally closure. To me you will always be somebody very special.
To all carers and adopters, never give up.
To Lawrence, thank you for finally giving my children justice.
To Clare, thank you for believing in not only me, but my four children.
To Simon & Schuster, thank you for finally giving my children a voice.
Lastly, I would like to thank Jamie, Stacey, Carrie and Sam. While times have indeed been challenging at best, I would like to express how proud I am of the four young people you have become. All four of you have helped me in my own personal journey in which you have filled my life with laughter, happiness, tears, frustration and most of all love.