For those of our children who do have relatives, relatives who care, it is important to maintain contact.
Poverty, illness or disability, may mean that a grandmother, auntie or other relative is not in a position to provide a home for an orphaned or needy child, but that doesn't diminish their feelings for their young relatives.
Our social worker Uncle Billy keeps families in touch with the progress of their Happy House children by phone or visits.
In the school holidays, where possible and appropriate , home visits are arranged. Giving a child a chance to spend some time with their blood family.
Everything is done in a child's interests and visits are carefully monitored by Uncle Billy.
This week 15 children have left on home visits, and it's an emotional time for those left behind.
Those for whom nobody comes.
Everything is explained to them, carefully and considerately by Billy, but inevitably there are some long faces.
So to lift everyone's spirits when their 15 brothers and sisters had left, Mama Sue decided to cook up a feast. Getting into the kitchen, helped by Papa Dave and Auntie Lynn, and made sausages, mash and gravy for everyone.
It went down a treat, and by the time they'd finished and their tummies were full, the smiles were back and as broad as ever.
Billy says: "After the kids left for their home visits, mama came up with a good plan of treating everyone else for lunch. Papa Dave came back from an early morning errand in time to help Mama with grilling the sausages which were served with gravy.....Bisto of course made with love by Aunty Lynn. Everybody had a sumptous lunch and how did our new chef fair? Exceedingly well!
"Thanks Mama for demonstarting the best type of leadership ever......leading from the front by demonstrating how best to get things done.
"Mama fits in this description on a daily basis "doing what she loves most and loving what she does most -.in taking good care of her family!"
