When Tina Strambler was five years old, she walked out of an
abusive home in Midland and into the care of High Sky Children's Ranch. She
would stay for 13 years.
Now, in her newly released memoir Raised by Strangers,
Rebuilt by Love, Strambler is honoring the ranch that raised her—thanking the
staff, foster parents, counselors, and volunteers who became the family she
never had.
"High Sky was the place that saved me," Strambler
writes. "It was the place that held me when my world fell apart. It was
the place where I grew up, where I learned who I was, where strangers became
family."
A Different Kind of
Home
When people hear that a child spent 13 years in a children's
home, they often imagine cold institutions and detached caregivers. But
Strambler wants people to understand that High Sky was different.
"High Sky was a world built out of cottages filled with
regular life—chores, meals, laughter, arguments, shared bathrooms, bedtime
routines, and families who didn't share DNA but shared everything else,"
she explains. "Each cottage felt like its own small universe. You didn't
just live there—you belonged there."
The ranch operated with a cottage system, each run by foster
parents who lived on-site. There were house rules, chore charts, mealtimes,
curfews—structure that children from trauma cling to like lifelines.
"It was the first place where I felt structure instead
of chaos," Strambler recalls. "For a child who grew up in chaos, even
strictness felt like a relief."
The People Who Raised
Her
The memoir pays tribute to the many individuals who shaped
Strambler during her years at High Sky:
Jackie Carter, the ranch director, who created an
environment where broken children could learn to be whole again. "She was
the heart of High Sky," Strambler says. "She set the tone for everyone
who worked there. She fought for us in ways we never even knew as
children."
Jalynn Hogan, a counselor who sat with Strambler through her
darkest emotions. "Jalynn walked with me through some of the darkest
emotional places I had been forced to carry," Strambler writes. "She
saw the hurt I tried to hide. She saw the strength I didn't know I had."
Alice and Lonnie Baker, foster parents who treated the girls
in their care the same as their biological children. "Living with them
taught me what real family rhythms looked like," Strambler recalls.
"We did chores together. We ate dinner together. We had rules, but those
rules made us feel safe, not scared."
The Sisters She Found
Over 13 years, Strambler had an overwhelming number of
foster sisters—girls from different backgrounds, carrying different hurts. Some
stayed months, some stayed years. Each left an imprint.
"We fought. We argued. We slammed doors. We bonded. We
became protective of each other in ways only children raised in uncertainty
can," she writes. "When you've already lost so much, you cling
fiercely to what you have."
Even when names fade, she says, the emotions don't.
"Whether I remember every detail or not, each of them
left something with me. They were never just passing through my story."
The Lessons That
Lasted
High Sky taught Strambler practical skills that would serve
her for a lifetime—and that she would later pass on to her own children.
"I learned how to do my own laundry at six years old.
How to fold clothes neatly and put them away. How to make my bed so tight you
could bounce a quarter off it. How to clean a room properly. How to cook
breakfast for twelve to fifteen people without panicking."
Those lessons, she says, weren't just chores. They were
gifts.
"They gave me confidence. They gave me structure. They
gave me a sense of pride in taking care of my space and myself. They became
part of who I am."
Small Kindnesses
Remembered
The memoir also honors the smaller acts of kindness that
made High Sky feel like home—the board members who drew children's names at
Christmas, the motorcycle group that roared onto the ranch every year giving
rides, the volunteers who showed up consistently.
One board member, Alice Johnson, hosted a Christmas party at
her home every year, complete with decorations and Santa Claus.
"For a few hours, we weren't 'foster kids,'"
Strambler remembers. "We were just kids laughing, opening presents, eating
cookies, believing in magic."
A Lasting Bond
Even after leaving High Sky, Strambler carried its lessons
with her. When she became a mother, she found herself repeating the things the
ranch taught her.
"I taught my own children the things High Sky taught
me: how to clean, how to cook, how to be responsible, how to care for others,
how to be part of a family."
Today, Strambler is a wife of nearly 30 years, a mother of
three sons, and a grandmother of four. The family she built, she says, stands
on the foundation High Sky gave her.
A Message of
Gratitude
The book's dedication reads: "To High Sky Children's
Ranch: Thank you for being my home, my therapy, and my support for thirteen
years. In your care, I found safety, healing, and the foundation to become who
I am today. This book reflects the love, structure, and hope you all poured
into me. With deepest gratitude, this is for you."
Strambler hopes the memoir will not only honor High Sky but
also bring awareness to the foster care system and the difference that
dedicated caregivers can make.
"It took a village to raise me," she says. "A
village of strangers who chose to love me when my own family couldn't. That
love saved me. That love taught me how to love others. That love built the
foundation for the life I live now."
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. Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love 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 [Media Contact] at
Contact:
Authur: Tina Strambler
Wesbite: https://tinastrambler.com/
Amazon: Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love: How Foster Care Saved My Life and Shaped My Purpose
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