CONNECTING HEARTS THROUGH WORDS
On August 28, 2024, China suspended its international adoption program. As of November 1st, approximately three hundred American families who had been matched with a child in China are now separated from them indefinitely with the status of their adoptions uncertain. We understand and lived through a similar heartache when our adoption of a young... Continue Reading →
My husband was out of the country on a work trip. The first part of his absence had been rough, I sometimes counted the seconds until his return, but this day started and ended, almost, uneventfully. In the evening, I fed our then four-year-old, Brett; nursed our then six-week-old, Collin; and somehow got them both... Continue Reading →
Numbers 6 : 24 - 26 ESV The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Dear moms and dads, This blessing was first spoken from God to Moses. The... Continue Reading →
The stout and stern, dark-haired judge scared the living heck out of us. She fired one question after another, and the sweat beaded on Craig's head. The kind translator had warned us ahead of time not to look at herself but only at the judge when it was time for the translator to repeat the... Continue Reading →
When I heard his feet hit the floor and his bedroom door open, I knew I didn’t have time to move or hide. I was caught. "Hey!" he said. "What are you doing?" "I'm just looking for something I dropped earlier," I whispered (and lied). He was practically sleep-walking so didn't question, but stepped over... Continue Reading →
I rolled over restlessly at the first morning light and spotted the thick, folded pile of papers that had been pushed under my door. My heart dropped to my feet and I jumped up to grab them. For an eighth of a second I thought, Did he run away? Did he hurt himself? but I... Continue Reading →
Today is my middle child's twenty-first birthday. Only yesterday, I was dragging myself around the supermarket in tears because it was his first week of kindergarten, and I felt like both my arms had been amputated. Two kids were now in school, and I walked in circles for weeks until I figured out my new normal. Today,... Continue Reading →
After I'd kissed and tucked him in, he sat up and said very sweetly, "Mom, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you smell bad at night. I don't know why ... I don't want to hurt your feelings though." I gargled with mouthwash and put some perfume on. I went back into his... Continue Reading →
I awoke to the alarm this morning at five thirty, heart pounding, with a list of things I must accomplish today running through my head. First off, dentist appointment. Next, dress, gift, and grocery shopping before returning home to clean the bathroom. Then, send a card, finish emails, and make a meal to bring to... Continue Reading →