Last year Linda Price arrived home to find her house in flames. Even after suffering multiple burns, her husband Rod and two of their daughters had gotten everyone out. But sadly, their son Joel—28 and bedridden from a childhood accident—died at the hospital.
Photograph by Audra Melton
When the Prices married, they shared a conviction about being called to adopt. Year after year Linda, a pediatric nurse, encountered kids on the margins, particularly those with mental and physical disabilities. “We couldn’t bear the idea that there were children out there who wouldn’t have a home,” Linda says. “That really was on our heart.”
Their biological children grew up alongside those they fostered and adopted—new family members who were grafted in with love. Linda and Rod even took in children with terminal illnesses, making sure they were cherished until the very end. The couple have raised 21 in all but today share a home with just two. Three others require specialized care in assisted living facilities for now.
Linda is happiest when everyone’s under one roof. She knows it’s natural for young people to grow up and move away, but for her most vulnerable children, she wants to be available day and night.
Now in their 70s, Linda and Rod recognize their limitations and accept that one day they may not be able to be that source of constant care for their kids who need it the most. As Linda waits and trusts in the Lord, her children remind her what she taught them through the years: It’s not the house that makes a home but the shared love and faith of their family.
For more stories of perseverance in the face of trials, visit www.intouch.org/read.
