Heart to Heart with a Sixteen Year Old

So, Tamara. The amazing young woman I met in 2003 when she was 11 - she is now 16. I was her foster mom for about 8 months and had to make the very difficult decision not to adopt her. It was bad timing, I had no idea at the time if I would be uprooting for a new church, I didn't like being a single parent (I loved being a parent, but not a single one), and I just didn't sense that I was ready to take that step. It has turned out well, she has been welcomed into a new family and will soon be officially adopted. She has even chosen to take their last name (which is a really good thing for Tamara). We now get to be friends, I get to be the mentor again and not have the responsibility of being mom. She spent yesterday and today with me and I must say, 'I had a blast!" It has been such a joy to walk this very sad, often time, horrific, journey with Tamara. To watch her blossom, to watch her make her own (right) decisons and to see how she has developed self-respect and a desire to live for God, has been overwhelming. To see her go from something really bad (that was only leading her life downhill), to where she is today (an amazingly thoughtful, dynamic young woman who loves God), is inspiring. I take none of the credit for this, but thank God everyday for the gift of being able to witness this transformation and growth.
Anyway, we had a heart to heart today. I shared with her that I will never in my life have a day that I won't feel guilty for not adopting her. We shared some tears and some conversation about how our lives crossed for a purpose and how I would never stop being a part of her life. Then I shared with her that someday I would like to say yes to a child that needs a home. Tamara looked at me with that tear in her eye and she said, "promise?" I couldn't believe how unselfish she was - she wasn't mad that it wasn't her - she was truly glad it would be another child in need! Oh, and my answer? "I guarantee you its something God and I will discuss again!"