Finding My Smile

Alayna was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome to a runaway 16-year-old girl who dumped the baby on the steps of a foster agency. Although the doctors predicted she would suffer from academic and behavior disorders, Alayna proves to be a highly advanced student. Her behavior and lack of a loving family, however, contribute to a string of poor decisions and delinquency. At age 16, she first steals an iPod and then a valuable piece of jewelry. As a result, she is sentenced to community service in an Alzheimer's ward 20 hours per week. She is also moved to her 12th foster-care setting, meeting the two people who desperately want to help her change her life forever. Alayna moves from anger and frustration in life to developing a very special relationship with an elderly Alzheimer's patient, Miss Lottie. Along with the consistent support of her foster parents and her friendship with Miss Lottie, Alayna learns about life, God, and what it means to have faith in the face of adversity. She even finds time to nurture a budding romance with a unique boy who has made a vow of purity, and she tries to hold onto a friendship with a girl who is the definition of "extra grace required."