A powerful new memoir is giving voice to the thousands of
children who have grown up in the Texas foster care system, offering an
unflinching look at abuse, survival, and the redemptive power of chosen family.
Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love, written by Midland
author Tina Strambler (Pierre), chronicles her 13 years at High Sky Children's
Ranch after being removed from an abusive home at age five. The book, published
in 2025, traces her journey from a childhood marked by physical and emotional
abuse to becoming a wife, mother of three, grandmother of four, and advocate
for foster children and abuse survivors.
"The day we were taken was terrifying. It was
confusing. It was overwhelming," Strambler writes in the memoir. "But
it was also the beginning of freedom. Even if I didn't feel it yet."
A Childhood Interrupted
Born in Louisiana, Strambler and her two siblings were sent
to live with an aunt and uncle in Midland, Texas, after their parents became
unable to care for them. What was meant to be a safe haven became a house of
horrors, with the children enduring systematic abuse including beatings with a
nail-embedded paddle, forced standing for hours, and psychological torment.
"We learned early how to read footsteps, how to predict
a storm from the sound of a door shutting a little too hard," Strambler
writes. "Something felt wrong in that house. Even as children, we sensed
it deep in our bones."
The abuse was discovered when a teacher noticed bruises on
Strambler's sister and made the call that would change everything. Child
Protective Services removed the children, placing Strambler and her sister at
High Sky Children's Ranch in Midland. Her brother was sent to a boys' home in
Amarillo, beginning years of separation.
Finding Home at High Sky
For the next 13 years, High Sky became more than a place
Strambler lived—it became home. The ranch's cottage system, structured
routines, and dedicated staff provided something she had never experienced:
safety.
"It was the first place where I felt structure instead
of chaos," Strambler recalls. "There were house rules posted on the
walls. Chore charts. Mealtimes. Curfews. Schedules. Things that most kids roll
their eyes at, but that children from trauma cling to like lifelines."
The book pays tribute to the many people who shaped her
during those years, including director Jackie Carter, counselor Jalynn Hogan,
and numerous cottage parents, teachers, and volunteers.
"I was raised by a village," Strambler says.
"A community of adults who stepped in where life had left gaps, who filled
the spaces where love, guidance, and stability should have been."
A Brief Return—and a Choice
At 13, Strambler faced an impossible decision when her
mother, having completed state requirements, requested reunification. Eager for
a fresh start, Strambler said yes.
The reality was devastating. The small house in Tickfaw,
Louisiana, offered no structure, no rules, no safety. Her brother, shaped by
years in different boys' homes, was angry and lost. Her mother was slipping
back into old patterns.
Overwhelmed and heartbroken, Strambler made a choice that
would define her future: she called her counselor back in Texas and asked to
return to High Sky.
"I wasn't rejecting my mother," she explains.
"I was choosing safety. I was choosing stability. I was choosing the life
that had raised me."
Love, Marriage, and Breaking Cycles
The night of her high school graduation, Strambler met a
young man named Roderick, home from Sul Ross University to watch his brother
graduate. That chance encounter led to a nearly 30-year marriage and three
sons: Darius, Dedrick, and Donovan.
Motherhood, Strambler says, saved her in ways she never
expected.
"When I became a mom, I wasn't just raising
children," she writes. "I was raising myself out of a past that tried
to break me."
She became the mother she never had—breaking generational
cycles of abuse and neglect, pouring love, consistency, and stability into her
children. Today, her sons are grown, and she is a grandmother of four.
A Message of Hope
Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love is more than
memoir, Strambler says. It's a message to survivors everywhere.
"I wrote this book not because my life was easy, but
because it was hard—and I survived," she explains. "I wrote it so
that others who feel broken can see what healing looks like. So foster kids
know they can rise above their circumstances. So survivors of abuse know their
story doesn't have to end in darkness."
The book is dedicated to her husband, her sons, and the
people of High Sky Children's Ranch—the strangers who became family and rebuilt
her life through love, structure, and hope.
About the Author
Tina Strambler lives in Midland, Texas, with her husband Roderick.
She has worked in the oil and gas industry for 15 years and is a proud
grandmother of four. This is her first book.
Availability
Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love is available now
in paperback, hardcover, and eBook. For media inquiries, speaking engagement
requests, or interview opportunities, please contact at tinastram88@gmail.com or 432-528-0791.
Contact:
Authur: Tina StramblerWesbite: https://tinastrambler.com/
Amazon: Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love: How Foster Care Saved My Life and Shaped My Purpose
Comments
Post a Comment