From an Anonymous Geocacher: This story came to me as a personal email after a fellow geocacher found a cache that I had placed. (Parts of the email have been altered for confidentiality).

I wanted to thank you for placing your regular-sized traditional cache.  It helped create a special memory today.

We adopted our son (age 11) from foster care

After spending most of his life in foster care, my son (age 11) was adopted by my husband and I last December (no gift at Christmas like a "baby" boy).  Today I took him to visit one of his older sisters who is still in foster care, currently living in a group home.  We went out to dinner with her, another resident, and one of their house parents.  After dinner, I took them all on a quick cache hunt.

Kid-friendly geocache

I had pre-selected your cache for several reasons including being kid-friendly, great for beginners, and recently discovered.  (There is nothing more frustrating than taking first-timers on a hunt and not finding the cache.)  Since we were going in the evening I knew there wouldn't be a high muggle challenge.  His sister was a little frightened of the whole activity and didn't go into the trees, but my son got to share one of his new hobbies with her and they still created a memory, kneeling around the ammo can.  My son dusted it out, made sure all the swag was "clean", and helped her choose some swag from our stash to leave behind.

Benefits of geocaching

The house parent had a great time, too.  Like me, she quickly recognized all of the benefits geocaching can offer the kids. 

Trauma can take away a child's natural curiosity and ability to weigh risk, instilling fears where none exist.  It also hampers learning and cognitive reasoning, skills geocaching wraps up in a fun bow of surprise, outdoor exploration and adventure. 

In the end, she took the geocoin from the cache and has already registered at geocaching.com.  She is excited about sharing the hobby with the other residents and staff!

Ripples in a pond

So thank you.  This cache wasn't just a quick stop on an otherwise busy day.  It was a pebble dropped into the water of at least three young, scarred lives.  Who knows what impact those ripples may have?!

Don't Go Yet! Do YOU have an inspirational geocaching story? Has geocaching impacted your life or the life of someone you know in a meaningful way? Have you seen the "ripples" spread? We'd love to hear about it!